Community Development: Update of Data on the Efforts by

Community Development: Update of Data on the Efforts by the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Relocate and Compensate Residents of the
Logan Triangle Area (Correspondence, 07/18/2000, GAO/RCED-00-249R).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO updated its previous report on
the city of Philadelphia's efforts to relocate and compensate Logan
Triangle Area residents whose homes are sinking into a landfill,
focusing on the: (1) total number of eligible owners and tenants who had
been relocated or compensated; and (2) number of eligible property
owners who have not been relocated or compensated, including whether
these owners represented property owners who moved on their own without
receiving compensation or had currently occupied properties.

GAO noted that: (1) according to the Logan Assistance Corporation, as of
June 28, 2000, 11 property owners have been relocated or compensated
since January 1, 2000--4 Logan owners with occupied properties and 7
homeowners who moved on their own without receiving compensation; (2)
consequently, as of June 28, 2000, the Logan Assistance Corporation had
relocated or compensated a total of 510 Logan Triangle property owners
and tenants, or about 71 percent of the 714 eligible owners and tenants
to be relocated and compensated; and (3) the remaining 204 eligible
property owners who have not been relocated or compensated consist of
179 property owners who moved on their own without receiving
compensation and 25 owners with occupied properties.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-00-249R
     TITLE:  Community Development: Update of Data on the Efforts by
	     the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Relocate
	     and Compensate Residents of the Logan Triangle Area
      DATE:  07/18/2000
   SUBJECT:  Community development programs
	     Real estate purchases
	     Housing
	     Tenants
	     Building codes
	     Real property
	     Declining neighborhoods
	     Relocation allowances
IDENTIFIER:  Philadelphia (PA)

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GAO/RCED-00-249R

GAO/ RCED- OO- 249R Logan Updated Data United States General Accounting
Office

Washington, DC 20548 Resources, Community, and

Economic Development Division

B- 285800 July 18, 2000 The Honorable Wayne Allard Chairman The Honorable
Rick Santorum Vice Chairman Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation
Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs United States Senate

The Honorable Arlen Specter Chairman Subcommittee on Labor, Health and

Human Services and Education Committee on Appropriations United States
Senate

Subject: Community Development: Update of Data on the Efforts by the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Relocate and Compensate Residents of the
Logan Triangle Area

In 1987, the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delineated the boundaries
of a 17- block area containing over 900 townhouses, known as the Logan
Triangle Area, and established a relocation plan to assist the property
owners and tenants residing in this area. The relocation of Logan Triangle
residents was necessary because their homes, which were built on an ash and
cinder landfill between 1910 and 1930, were sinking. Relocation under the
city's plan was voluntary and consisted of an offer to purchase Logan homes
and/ or relocate tenants if they desired to move.

In June 2000, 1 we reported to you that as of December 31, 1999,
Philadelphia's Logan Assistance Corporation had relocated and/ or
compensated 499 Logan Triangle property owners and tenants, or about 70
percent of the 714 owners and tenants eligible to be relocated and
compensated. The remaining 215 eligible property owners

1 Community Development: Information on the Efforts by the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Relocate and Compensate Residents of the
Logan Triangle Area (GAO/ RCED- 00- 165R, June 9, 2000).

B- 285800 2 GAO/ RCED- OO- 249R Logan Updated Data

who had not been relocated or compensated consisted of 186 property owners
who moved on their own without receiving compensation and 29 owners with
occupied properties.

You asked us to update the data that we presented in our June 2000 report on
the number of residents of the Logan Triangle area who relocated or were
compensated since January 1, 2000. Specifically, you asked us to determine
the (1) total number of eligible owners and tenants who had been relocated
and/ or compensated and (2) number of eligible property owners who have not
been relocated or compensated, including whether these owners represented
property owners who moved on their own without receiving compensation or had
currently occupied properties.

According to the Logan Assistance Corporation, as of June 28, 2000, 11
property owners have been relocated or compensated since January 1, 2000- 4
Logan owners with occupied properties and 7 homeowners who moved on their
own without receiving compensation. Consequently, as of June 28, 2000, the
Logan Assistance Corporation had relocated and/ or compensated a total of
510 Logan Triangle property owners and tenants, or about 71 percent of the
714 eligible owners and tenants to be relocated and compensated. The
remaining 204 eligible property owners who have not been relocated or
compensated consist of 179 property owners who moved on their own without
receiving compensation and 25 owners with occupied properties.

---- We are providing copies of this report to the Honorable Andrew M.
Cuomo, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Philadelphia's Office
of Housing and Community Development; the Corporation; and Councilwoman
Marian Tasco. We will also make copies available to others on request.

Please call me at (202) 512- 7631 if you or your staff have any questions
about this report. Key contributors to this report were James Vitarello,
Patrick Doerning, and Robert Procaccini.

Stanley J. Czerwinski Associate Director, Housing and Community

Development Issues (385873)

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