The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the city’s largest provider of affordable housing. But last year, the agency started buying private-sector apartment buildings where tenants paid market-rate rents.
It’s part of PHA’s new strategy to add to the city’s affordable housing supply.
The first building PHA bought under this plan is in West Philly and has 233 apartments. Some tenants pay the going rate, and some get help from government subsidies.
But the transition to PHA ownership hasn’t been smooth, tenants told my colleague. They laid out potential challenges within PHA’s new model.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Price Point: Compare these three homes for sale for roughly $765,000 in three local communities.
Eying a thaw: See why Philly is a hot market for apartments right now even before the rental market traditionally heats up.
Filling gaps: Learn about a special project to convert offices to apartments in Chester County and see where the redevelopment fits into the broader conversion conversation.
Old is new: Peek inside this Center City home that the owners call their “new old house.”
— Michaelle Bond
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Tenants keep leaving The Dane, the apartment building in Wynnefield that the Philadelphia Housing Authority took over last year.
They say conditions have gotten better since the switch in ownership. But they’re still dealing with things like pest outbreaks and a garage door that breaks down.
Tenants say the transition to PHA ownership has been challenging. But PHA’s new strategy to expand the city’s affordable housing supply relies on transitioning buildings like The Dane.
In the last 14 months, PHA has spent $280.6 million for a total of 17 multifamily properties across the city. All together, that’s 1,515 apartments.
In most of them, tenants are paying the going rate.
But PHA wants to fill the buildings with tenants who use housing vouchers to cover a chunk of the rent. It plans to keep renting some apartments at the market rate, and those units will help pay operating expenses.
Keep reading to learn more about PHA’s plans and some of the pain points that have popped up at The Dane.
And now it’s time for Price Point, the series in which I compare local homes on the market for about the same price.
This time, I looked for homes for sale for about $760,000, which is twice the median sale price in the Philly region last month.
I was excited to feature these three homes because even though they’re priced similarly, they vary significantly in size.
The Upper Dublin Township home is roughly 1,000 square feet larger than the Riverton, Burlington County, home, which is roughly 1,000 larger than the home in Chestnut Hill.
Two were built more than a century ago. One was built in the ‘80s. The homes have varying outdoor spaces, design styles, and numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Peek inside these homes for sale and see what roughly $765,000 can buy you in three local communities.
The latest news to pay attention to
A suburban office park in Chester County is getting converted to apartments. Is it a sign of things to come?
See why Philadelphia is one of the most popular destinations for apartment hunters.
A development with 260 apartments is proposed for a long-vacant site in East Falls.
A developer plans to break ground next year on a 36-story apartment tower in South Philly.
A $105 million mixed-use complex with apartments is set to rise in the shadow of Willow Grove mall.
Philly’s Greyhound station is one step closer to finding a permanent home.
Famed mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar died last week. Here’s where you can see his work around Philly.
Chinatown Stitch, which would cap the Vine Street Expressway, is in limbo after Trump yanked funds. Can it be saved?
House of the week: For $625,000 in Washington Square West, a loft-style condo with exposed brick and barrel-vaulted ceilings.
In 2020, Amy Slater and Mark Silow didn’t know exactly what they were looking for as they walked the streets of Center City and looked for inspiration in other people’s homes.
But they’d know when they found it, they said. And that’s exactly what happened when they saw a home on Rittenhouse Square with a style they loved.
They left a note for the owners asking for the name of the home’s architect.
Their boldness paid off. They got the name and an invitation to come over.
That started the couple’s journey to update the home where they’d lived since 1989. On their wish list? More natural light, a new kitchen, and a new roof with a deck.
Slater and Silow made those renovations and more.
Peek inside the home they call their “new old house.”
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
Shout-out to Tim G., Maria D., Don L. and Anna-Marie S. for knowing that last week’s quiz featured a photo of the steps to the El station at 8th and Market Streets.
Anna-Marie and Don both said they recognized the steps from their former commutes. Up until a few years ago, The Inquirer office was across the street, which is why I know those steps, too.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.