Philadelphia Land Bank

The Philadelphia Land Bank is a public entity that holds, manages and disposes of vacant and tax-delinquent land and buildings, with the stated aim of returning them to productive use for housing, gardens, businesses and community facilities. Philadelphia has tens of thousands of vacant lots and buildings, spread among private owners, the city, the Redevelopment Authority and other agencies. The Land Bank was designed to replace a fragmented process, in which a buyer might need approvals from several bodies, with a more predictable one.^[1]

1 Origins and legal basis

Land banks are authorized in Pennsylvania by the state Land Bank Act, which allows municipalities to create entities with special powers to acquire tax-delinquent property. Philadelphia's version was proposed by advocates and debated in City Council in 2013, with disputes over how much control Council members should retain over land in their districts. The resulting legislation made the Land Bank a distinct public body while preserving a Council role: the Land Bank's strategic plan and policies are reviewed and approved annually by Council, and individual dispositions generally require a Council resolution.^[2] That compromise reflects councilmanic prerogative, the informal tradition by which district Council members control land decisions in their districts.

2 How land is disposed of

A buyer seeking a Land Bank property typically submits an application describing the intended use, the development plan and financing. The Land Bank's board must approve the sale, and a Council resolution is needed for conveyance. Before the Land Bank, the Vacant Property Review Committee played an important approving role, and a 2019 bill proposed to eliminate that committee and transfer its authority to the Land Bank to further centralize decisions.^[3] Sale prices may be discounted when a project serves a public purpose such as affordable housing, and side lots are sometimes sold to adjacent homeowners. A related program, Turn the Key, sells inexpensive city land to developers who build for-sale homes under price caps, with city assistance for low-income buyers.^[4]

3 Relationship to PHDC and the PRA

The Land Bank has its own board but few of its own employees. Following a 2019 reorganization, the Land Bank and the Redevelopment Authority combined their staffs and day-to-day operations under the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC), with each public body's board remaining intact. Officials described the arrangement as a "one-stop shop" for acquiring, disposing of and developing public land.^[3] Strategic direction of the broader housing agenda comes from the mayor's office, which in 2025 set a goal of creating and preserving 30,000 homes; the Land Bank is a key source of the publicly owned land that plan relies on (see Division of Housing and Community Development).

4 Board and 2025 changes

As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer in October 2025, Mayor Cherelle Parker asked longtime board chair Herb Wetzel and board member Majeedah Rashid, who leads the Nicetown Community Development Corporation, to step down. Alexander Balloon, executive director of the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation and a former board member, replaced Rashid, and Angela D. Brooks, the city's chief housing officer, joined the board.^[5] The mayor's office stated that a strong and effective Land Bank is essential to reaching the housing goal. The Land Bank's website lists an 11-member board, appointed by the Mayor and the Council President, chaired by Angela D. Brooks, the city's chief housing officer; other listed members include the PHA's president and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah, a Revenue Department deputy commissioner and a representative of Council's housing staff.^[7]

5 Criticisms and challenges

The Inquirer described the board as split between members who favored earmarking land for nonprofits, community uses and deeply affordable housing and those who prioritized speed and private development to reduce vacancy. It reported that several Turn the Key proposals had been delayed, that projects can stall because of the need for Council approval even with mayoral backing, and that Council members questioned staff capacity during budget hearings, with an outside assessment by the consulting firm Guidehouse pending at that time.^[5] Observers have also argued that the Land Bank's effectiveness is limited by multiple political checkpoints. Supporters respond that Council's role guards against displacement and gives neighborhoods a voice. Annual fiscal reports on land transfers have at times shown fewer transfers than the stated goals.^[6]

6 Interacting with the Land Bank

Residents can look up whether a lot is publicly owned through the city's property tools (see Open Data and Transparency Tools), contact PHDC's land management staff, and attend Land Bank board meetings, which are subject to the Sunshine Act. Community groups can weigh in through their Registered Community Organization and district Council office. This article is general information, not advice about any specific property.

See also: Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, Councilmanic Prerogative.

References

1. Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, Land Bank program materials, phdcphila.org.
2. Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Magazine coverage of the Land Bank legislation, November-December 2013.
3. Bisnow Philadelphia, "Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. Absorbs Redevelopment Authority, Land Bank in Department Merger."
4. CBS Philadelphia and City Council reporting on the Turn the Key initiative.
5. Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philadelphia Land Bank, Parker and 30,000 houses," October 20, 2025; City of Philadelphia press release, October 20, 2025, on Land Bank board appointments.
6. Bisnow Philadelphia, "Philly Picked Up the Pace of Vacant Land Transfers in 2022, But It Still Fell Well Short of Goal."
7. Philadelphia Land Bank, Board of Directors page, phillylandbank.org, accessed October 2026.