RePoint Philadelphia

Look at this turnout! Grateful and proud that so many folks showed up last week alongside RePoint and the Coalition, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Design Advocacy Group of Philadelphia Chestnut Hill Conservancy Center City Residents Association and other groups concerned about the dangerous language in Bill 251030.

Want to see what happened at the 6/3 Rules Committee meeting? Check out the video (approx 0:43-5:00) at https://youtu.be/L7cjqbgtwo8?is=EqI5ztj0kHh8eqvh

BREAKING NEWS: BILL 251030 HELD UNTIL SEPTEMBER

THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP! We packed the first floor of the Council chamber with Philadelphians concerned that this bill will strip away too many protections from the existing fair and functional historic designation framework. To the numerous groups who took time off of work, printed and distributed signs, and mobilized their communities -- thank you again.

After beginning the Committee on Rules hearing nearly 40 minutes late, it was announced that the bill was not going to be presented today. Although it was disappointing that RePoint could not share our panel testimony and support public comments, we are glad to that Councilman Squilla could see the widespread city opposition and will return to the drawing board -- hopefully with a few more preservation stakeholders at the table. In his remarks he mischaracterized the bill as containing recommendations from the 2017-19 Historic Preservation Task Force. To be completely clear: NO language in the bill is drawn from those years of meetings and analysis.

RePoint will continue to remain opposed to this bill if it retains the dangerous provisions that incentivize improper use of permitting channels, designation rescission, and vague language that considers "material commitments," and "established public policy" prior to a designation decision. That is not the way to do preservation right -- what we need to see implemented in this city are the best practices cited in the 2019 Historic Preservation Task Force report, such as flexible historic districts, financial incentives for historic property owners, demolition delay, and citywide survey.

In the meantime, please continue to sign and share the Stop Demolishing Philly coalition petition, engage with your Councilmembers, and follow RePoint on social media for all the latest updates.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DEFEAT BILL 251030 IN RULES COMMITTEE TOMORROW

📣 Join us tomorrow (Wednesday 6/3) at 2PM, in City Hall Room 400. We want to fill the room to show City Council that Bill 251030 cannot be passed as written and would have disastrous consequences for our city's historic fabric. We have signs printed and ready to go -- all you have to do is hold them and cheer for all of the testimony in opposition to the bill.

Feel free to DM us with any questions. Let's do this.

Exciting news! Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. has committed to voting NO on Bill 251030 at next week’s Rules Committee hearing. We are so glad he understands this bill cannot be passed, even as amended, since too many protections for our built environment would be weakened or lost altogether. Right on!

RePoint continues to stand loud and proud against Bill 251030, which if passed would substantially disempower Philadelphia's residents, neighborhood organizations, and advocates from participating in the city's historic preservation process.

📝 Even if you’re unable to attend the June 3 Rules Committee hearing in person, you can still make your voice heard. Submit a public comment opposing the bill to [email protected] by 3pm on June 2. Your comment will be entered into the public record, and will not be read aloud during the hearing.

Not sure what to say? We hear you, this bill is COMPLICATED (wonder why...)! Visit https://www.repointphl.org/advocacy/2026/5/19/bill-251030-june-3rd-rules-committee-hearing for a pre-generated email you can send in one click from your phone 🤓

AN UPDATE AND CALL TO ACTION ON BILL 251030: The amendments to Councilman Mark Squilla's bill changing language in Philadelphia's historic preservation ordinance still leave our city's historic resources more vulnerable than ever. The bill is scheduled to be presented at the June 3rd Rules Committee hearing, a committee on which Councilman Squilla serves as vice-Chair. Depending on your comfort level, there are three ways to express your opposition to this bill -- swipe through this post for more information. We have contact information to email or call councilmembers, easy instructions to sign up to testify on June 3rd, and the link to the Stop Demolishing Philly petition all up on linktr.ee/repointphl. Let's fight this together ✊🏼

In the wise words of *NSYNC, it's gonna be May. Here's what's on schedule at the Philadelphia Historical Commission this month. Do attend!

Save the date for three public meetings in April! On the 10th the Historical Commission will hold their monthly hybrid meeting, and on the 21st the Commission's architectural committee will meet (virtual only). Importantly, we have heard through the grapevine that the Philadelphia City Planning Commission has tentatively put their review of Mark Squilla's (amended?) Bill 251030 on their monthly agenda. We will share any additional information regarding the bill's changed language as it is made available to the public.

Update on this Friday’s monthly Historical Commission meeting: it will be VIRTUAL ONLY! Here are the meeting deets! Zoom Meeting ID: 811 4600 8029. Meeting Password: 200033. You can find the agenda here:https://www.phila.gov/media/20260311160218/Historical-Comm-Agenda-20260313-rev.pdf

📅 March 2026 Philadelphia Historical Commission Schedule ➡
We have an almost full slate of meetings & committees this month, including the Committee on Historic Designation and the Architectural Committee. Agendas aren't up online yet as they're typically posted a week in advance, but head to linktr.ee/repointphl for quick access to the PHC public meetings webpage!