Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), chair of the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless, has introduced the second phase of her “Defying Displacement” campaign, which aims to preserve and create affordable housing.

This phase introduces a series of bills that focus on cutting red tape by speeding up the approval process for affordable housing developments and making it easier for homeowners to turn extra space into bonus units so that they can remain in their homes.

The city can speed up development and reduce costs by reviewing affordable housing quickly and efficiently, ultimately leading to lower prices for prospective tenants, according to a statement by Gauthier. It can take more than nine months and cost thousands of dollars to receive a zoning variance in the current variance process. Gauthier argues that this disproportionately impacts affordable housing because many developers interested in affordable housing rely on extra density to keep the price-per-unit low.

“At the current pace, it will take more than 200 years to build enough affordable housing to meet Philadelphia’s need,” said Gauthier. “To quickly get families into safe, stable, and affordable housing, the city needs to cut red tape.”

The bill would make it easier for homeowners to create bonus units – like converting a second floor into an apartment – in Council districts that already allow them in rowhome zoning districts (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th). Other Council districts may opt in. Bonus units would be inside existing structures and would not change the look and feel from the outside. Cities across America use bonus units, sometimes called “accessory dwelling units,” to build or convert new affordable housing, slow gentrification, give families another way to build generational wealth and empower homeowners to age in place. The current process is so burdensome that the city only approved an average of one bonus unit per year over the last decade.

A more detailed description of the measures proposed as part of phase two of Defying Displacement is available here.

Last year, Gauthier unveiled phase one of Defying Displacement, which Council enacted almost in its entirety. Thanks to Defying Displacement, Gauthier says more than 2,100 homeowners applied for the city’s new low-income tax freeze.