(Mid-rise housing in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood | Photo: Jon Geeting)

City Council this week announced a package of affordable housing bills on the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act that together hit much closer to the mark than other recent Council initiatives, from the perspective of promoting both continued housing growth and more equitable access to housing.

(A dreaded mid-rise building in Seattle | Photo: Jon Geeting)

The Mixed-Income Housing Bill in City Council is being touted by its supporters as a way to preserve racial and socioeconomic diversity as Philly neighborhoods continue to appreciate. But it's gotten so watered down and off-track at this point that it would be a mistake to continue on with the amended bill as the baseline. In fact, the original bill wasn't that far off the mark. 

(Multifamily buildings would have to set aside 10% of units for people making 50% of Area Median Income)

Before breaking for summer vacation, Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez introduced a last-minute bill that, if enacted, would create an inclusionary housing requirement for new buildings of 10 units or larger.