City committee advances eight property-related ordinances, including Cobbs Creek Trail extension and a PECO easement

The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Property and Public Works voted to report eight property-related ordinances with a favorable recommendation and to suspend council rules to allow first reading at the next council session.

Sarah Clark Stewart, trails and transportation manager for the Department of Streets, testified in support of bill 251067, saying the measure "allows the city of Philadelphia to receive parcels from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, the Philadelphia Land Bank, and the Philadelphia Housing and Development Corporation for purposes of building the Cobbs Creek Trail Extension in the Eastwick neighborhood." Stewart said the Streets Department will operate and maintain the new trail as part of the city's circuit trail system once construction is complete.

Joe Braske, Commissioner of Public Property, testified on behalf of the Department of Public Property for the remaining bills. He described bill 251100 as an amendment to a sublease at 1626 John F. Kennedy Boulevard that would add the 18th floor (about 26,700 square feet) to the city's existing occupancy on the 17th floor (about 26,800 square feet), noting the city aims to keep its lease costs below market average. "Our lease average is $21 a square foot," Braske said, describing the building as a center-city hub for multiple agencies.

On bill 260242, Braske said the historic property at 5928-30 Germantown Avenue has been vacant since 1998 and "requires extensive restoration due to significant deterioration," and that conveyance to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development would allow private investment to rehabilitate the landmark for community use.

Braske supported bill 260338, which would grant PECO Energy Company an easement adjacent to a portion of the Pennypack Path near 7801 State Road to access and maintain underground transformers and related infrastructure. He said PECO is "mandated to maintain infrastructure" and that access is critical to prevent service interruptions and safety hazards. In response to a council question, Braske said he was not aware of any charge assessed to PECO for such easements and that the easement is intended for PECO's own use to bring upgrades and access manholes.

Bill 260341 would convert the city's year-to-year holdover lease at 9353 Crewstown Road (about 4,994 square feet) into a 10-year lease. Braske said the space previously housed Northeast Detectives and that, under the proposal, the Department of Licenses & Inspections would occupy the space; the city would receive three free rent credits upon lease execution and no tenant improvements are required.

Under bill 260337, the city would enter lease and sublease agreements covering roughly 21 acres (a 12.49-acre Victory Gardens site and an 8.6583-acre portion of the Emerson Landfill) with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542 to conduct environmental remediation and build an apprentice training facility. Braske said Local 542 would annually reserve a minimum of 10% of apprenticeship slots for Philadelphia residents and that the city would assume no financial or contractual obligations for the sublease.

Bill 260339 would amend a prior authorization for subleasing space at 1 South Broad to add about 12,455 rentable square feet on the 7th floor for the Department of Labor's Labor Standards Division and Office of Labor Relations; Braske said the amendment makes the additional floor coterminous with the master lease to support the department's growth.

There were no members of the public signed up to comment. After testimony and brief questions, Council member Spoila moved that bills 251067, 260063, 251100, 260242, 260338, 260341, 260337 and 260339 be reported from the committee with a favorable recommendation and that council rules be suspended to permit first reading at the next council session. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The committee adjourned with the items slated for first reading at the next council meeting.

Actions reported to council include: ordinance 251067 (Cobbs Creek Trail parcels), ordinance 260063 (park renaming/Allegheny West Recreation Center), ordinance 251100 (sublease amendment at 1626 JFK Blvd), ordinance 260242 (conveyance at Germantown Ave), ordinance 260338 (PECO easement), ordinance 260341 (9353 Crewstown Rd lease conversion), ordinance 260337 (Victory Gardens/Emerson Landfill lease/sublease), and ordinance 260339 (additional space at 1 South Broad).