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Jon Geeting

@jongeeting.bsky.social
1.6K followers 627 following 255 posts

Fishtown dad, urbanist, writer, connector. Policy and Advocacy director at Build Philly Now. Co-founder @5thsq

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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Brendan @ninthhostage.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
NEW - the court has (for the second time) undesignated the Washington Square West Historic District Also - new filings with the Historical Commission show the deteriorating condition of the Keith Haring "We the Youth" mural buildphillynow.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Judge Hall overturned the 1,400-property Washington Square West Historic District again. @ninthhostage.bsky.social has the story, along with some new details on the Keith Haring mural case buildphillynow.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
buildphillynow.substack.com
Breaking: Court Overturns Wash. West Historic District | New Details on Haring Mural
Common Pleas judge reverses the 1,400-property Wash West district for the second time this year
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
5th Square Advocacy @5thsqadvocacy.org · 07/09/2026
Our organizers worked back in 2020 to cobble together a grant among transit advocacy orgs to study institutional passes for SEPTA. thephiladelphiacitizen.org/septa-free-p...
Screenshot of Philadelphia Citizen Article:
It started with college students
Conversations at SEPTA about an institutional pass concept began in 2013 and 2014. Back then, the idea was to create bulk fares for university students using Pittsburgh's successful university pass program as a model. SEPTA's pilot, however, will not include college students, even though Drexel University itself is part of the initial trio. 
The unofficial plan at SEPTA is to branch into student passes in a future phase. As it turned out, new employee benefits were relatively faster and more straightforward to stand up than new student benefits. 
But advocates who have long worked to advance the university pass concept within SEPTA — an effort that I have been closely involved with from 2014 through the present day — are not disappointed by this outcome. Instead, they are thrilled with the pilot's progress among those three large employers.
The main supporters of student transit passes have included SEPTA's Youth Advisory Council, 5th Square, the Clean Air Council and the Transit Forward Philly coalition, who worked with staff allies at SEPTA to overcome internal resistance and neutralize arguments that had long prevented the concept from advancing.These transit advocates and transportation environmentalists were inspired by success stories from Pittsburgh, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Columbus, Ohio, and other cities. Greater Philadelphia possesses key ingredients. Not only do we have more higher-ed institutions, we also have a more expansive regional public transportation network than many other university pass cities. It became clear to these groups that a pass like Pittsburgh's U-Pass could be even more successful here.
SEPTA could add a truly massive number of transit riders by putting a monthly pass into the hands of every college student and university worker, from custodians to administrators to professors. According to Campus Philly's most recent annual report (2019), enrollment at their partner schools in our region was over 278,000. Add in university workers, and there's a major opportunity for growing transit ridership and revenue.
For various reasons, the student pass idea on its own generated socializing and beginning analysis — but not much action - from SEPTA under the administration of then-General Manager Jeff Kneuppel.The momentum for change
A key moment came in 2020 when advocates were able to secure, with the support of then-brand-new GM Richards and her team, a small grant from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to produce original research on applications for institutional transit passes for large employers, university students and workers, City government and residential apartment buildings.
SEPTA brought more funding to the table and contracted with Econsult to create a financial model to explore the possibilities with more rigor. This was a key step: Until that point, the financial viability had been a sticking point for advancing such a program. Financial analysis was able to clear away some of the internal barriers to SEPTA putting forth a concrete proposal. The pandemic's impact on revenue and ridership also played a catalytic role in increasing interest among SEPTA management.
Another important piece of context has been the very fluid situation around federal emergency support for transit. Also, starting this year, scheduled changes to PA transit agencies' revenue stream could make state funding - SEPTA's largest revenue source — less predictable. Decision-makers' desire for a new, stable local revenue source that can be used in flexible ways increased greatly during the pandemic.
Now that there's a framework for institutional passes in place, the sky's the limit for where this concept can go next.
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
5th Square Advocacy @5thsqadvocacy.org · 07/09/2026
Using SEPTA Key Advantage as an incentive to attract jobs to Philadelphia is a smart move and we are thrilled to have played a small part in its founding! www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...
What government incentives are going to Burlington?
$30 million: How much Burlington is set to receive in grants from Pennsylvania.
$8 million: What the City of Philadelphia plans to invest in Burlington's move, including a $7 million forgivable loan and $1 million for a year of free SEPTA passes for employees.
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 07/08/2026
If you live in PA and want single-stair, fill this out. Just do your best. The important thing is to fill it out.
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 07/08/2026
Anybody who has a moment should spam the RAC public comment form with accelerated adoption of the 2027 IBC single-stair provision. Doesn’t matter if you enter it wrong, a lot of submissions asking for the same thing will get the job done. (And tell them not to amend it in any way!)
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 07/08/2026
This is so low-density that it looks worse than nothing. Philadelphia is rapidly running out of vacant land, and once that happens, development is going to get a lot harder and more expensive. Wasting big blocks on low-rise housing, surface lots, and street widenings is so short-sighted.
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Pass the Driscoll/LIFT Act @bradwilhelm.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Lebron probably took one look at the newly walkable Old City and said to himself, “I must live there.”
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5th Square Advocacy @5thsqadvocacy.org · 20/07/2026
@iancoss.bsky.social's Highway Teardown Tour came to Philadelphia for an episode on I-95 with @ingasaffron.bsky.social, @dpearsonphl.bsky.social, and Leslie Richards--it's a great listen: www.wgbh.org/podcasts/big...
wgbh.org
Highway Teardown Tour | 9. Philadelphia, PA
Even as cities try to heal the damage of the interstate era, we are also continuing to expand our urban highways, continuing to turn parks and neighborhoods into new lanes and new off-ramps. So why is...
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I wrote about the law this guy is complaining about back in 2019 when it was just a proposal. Then, as now, the point has always been to remove veto points that people like the author can use to block reuse of buildings. It’s not a “loophole!” thephiladelphiacitizen.org/we-can-have-...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
We Can Have Nice Things - The Philadelphia Citizen
A City report makes clear that we can preserve our history and create new housing—if, Philly 3.0’s engagement director notes, our leaders make it happen
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
NIMBYs describing an outcome consistent with the plain intent of the law: look at this horrible loophole! thephiladelphiacitizen.org/guest-commen...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
Guest Commentary: Neighborhoods Deserve Input on Historic Properties
Historic properties deserve preservation, but a zoning loophole limits nearby residents’ input, says an attorney and concerned neighbor
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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Installation of Philly's first Zicla bus boarding island at 16th and JFK! Hope we get more throughout
Installation of a Zicla bus boarding island
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 26/05/2026
Mayor Mamdani has announced the Affordable & Efficient Code Reform task force, to convene later this year. The housing plan says that among other things, elevator and plumbing reform will be considered. www.nyc.gov/content/dam/... (pgs. 98-99)
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Spending time in France and Switzerland, it’s clear that the “missing middle” in North America isn’t townhouses and duplexes. It’s mid-rises. Especially mid-rise neighbourhoods. Our denser urban fabric (Montreal, Chicago, etc.) is still mostly 2-3 storeys, not 4-8 like is so common here.
Mid-rise courtyard in Lyon, France
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Fair Share Housing Center @fairsharehousing.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Good news from Trenton today: legislation making it easier to convert empty malls & office buildings into mixed-use communities — with at least 20% affordable housing required — just cleared a key Senate committee. Learn more from @njsenatedemocrats.bsky.social: www.njsendems.org/m/newsflash/...
njsendems.org
Singleton, Wimberly Bill to Convert Vacant Offices, Retail into Mixed-Use Housing Advances • New Jersey Legislative Senate Democrats, NJ
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Tiny elevators in Nice @stephenjacobsmith.com
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
been looking at this from the city permits side and hope to have something out soon. I would like to believe this but it’s harder to measure it than they’re presenting. They say in there they don’t measure the impact of overlays and such
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Mosh Lee @mosh.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Questions I have for Rich Lazer: - Can you double the parking permit fees for oversized vehicles, since they take up 2x the curb? - How could his approach to operational excellence and JFDI translate to other city depts, like L&I and Streets? - Does he want to run for Sheriff?
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Hope to see all Philly urbanist Bsky folks there, once in a lifetime opportunity!
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
PPA director Rich Lazer is our guest for BPN’s policy lunch tomorrow open.substack.com/pub/buildphi...
open.substack.com
Policy Lunch 4/10: Rich Lazer, Philadelphia Parking Authority
This Friday at Econsult Solutions
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Spooky Monorail Maoist @awildschild.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
SEPTA has acquired the cars with the 2-by-sideways seating arrangement www.inquirer.com/transportati...
inquirer.com
Regional Rail is getting some used passenger cars from Montreal
Aged 37 to 39 years, the Montreal trains are youngsters compared to the Nixon-Ford era Silverliner IVs.
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
This is the future YIMBYs want
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
A crane for a 3-story building in Philly @stephenjacobsmith.com
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18/03/2026
oh look at that www.pew.org/en/research-...
pew.org
Austin’s Surge of New Housing Construction Drove Down Rents
After decades of explosive growth, Austin, Texas, in the 2010s was a victim of its own success. Lured by high-tech jobs and the city’s hip reputation, too many people were competing for too few homes....
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 19/03/2026
Just to make sure there won’t be enough new housing to keep even more from closing
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I know! Voted for it before he voted against it. And such a rarity for Michael Johns to be on the YIMBY side, which he was in two votes before recusing. These vote patterns are weird! I’m gonna dig into the voting history for a bigger project
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
After 5 appearances before the LB board in nearly 2 years, the proposal for 30 workforce homes on vacant city lots in Norris Square finally passed the board last Tuesday. But now it’s back in bureaucratic purgatory! New BPN News article from me: open.substack.com/pub/buildphi...
open.substack.com
BPN News | After Almost 2 Years, Land Bank Board Approves 30 Workforce Homes in Norris Square
After 5 appearances before the board, the proposal passed...only to land back in bureaucratic purgatory
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Starting to dig into Philly Land Bank voting records and meeting packets with Claude Code to track LB projects. Here is a new BPN mini-site with the timeline for just one example project, showing why the process can take so darn long norrissquarettk.netlify.app
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Crazy crazy story. Times of Israel reporter ( English language Israeli news site ) gets escalating death threats to change story that’s at center of big polymarket bet. www.timesofisrael.com/gamblers-try...
timesofisrael.com
Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story
Bettors are using death threats to try to get The Times of Israel's military correspondent to change his report on a missile impact in central Israel. This is his alarming account
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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Also the Germantown Station development parcel mentioned in the article, that SEPTA wants to see happen, still isn't getting rezoned with the Mayor's bills! CM Bass has stalled it wwww.septa.org/initiatives/...
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Some overlay districts are huge and explicitly named after the Councilmanic District, a blatant expression of prerogative that was only introduced in 2021 first to ban ADUs whyy.org/articles/to-...
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Reposted by Jon Geeting
Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Here is a 3D map of Center City Philadelphia--but no, it's not height! This is the number of unique zoning overlays applied to each lot, totaling up to 14 separate overlays on some lots! codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philad...
3D Aerial view of zoning overlay counts in Center City
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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
I was able to create a Philly zoning overlay "skyline" out of this bsky.app/profile/bens...
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Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 12/03/2026
Generally I’m not one of those “eliminate two laws for every one you pass” or “the tax code should fit on an index card” people. Modern society is complicated and laws will be too. But big city zoning is getting too complicated. A lot of it came from a YIMBY place, but we need to simplify the rules.
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
There’s a narrower slice of projects the current 6-month deadline already applies to. While doing this analysis I discovered about 1 in 3 of those projects blows the deadline. So it doesn’t even work well for the limited range of permits it applies to now and should be amended
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Forget a big project like Hahnemann—you can’t even build a single-family home in 6 months. They’re all caught up in this too if it passes
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/jeffrey-youn...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
Does Councilmember Young Want to Stifle Development?
City Councilmember Jeffrey Young's proposed bill would block more than 90 percent of city building projects, as Mayor Parker tries to build
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
CM Young’s Hahnemann revenge bill would have blocked 92% of legitimate development projects *citywide* from 2010-2025, based on a review of city permitting and construction timelines from that period
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Passyunk Ave manages to have much shorter opening times for restaurants, with many many more opening by-right. While I haven't been down there in a few months, I'm pretty sure it's not hell on Earth
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I put the study results on this mini site I built with Claude Code, with a full analysis of 2007-2025 permits on multiple Philly commercial corridors, and an interactive map. All source data linked so you can check my work ncaoverlaystudy.netlify.app
ncaoverlaystudy.netlify.app
North Delaware Commercial Overlay Study
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Food and beverage businesses spend anywhere from $3,000-15,000 dollars on this process, and have to wait an extra 7.5 months on average. By one estimate, this has transferred nearly $2M from restaurant entrepreneurs to zoning lawyers since 2007 thephiladelphiacitizen.org/neighborhood...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
How Not to Plan A Neighborhood
The controversy over a planned Fishtown restaurant is another instance of Neighborhood Commercial Areas making it hard for small businesses
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I wrote about my white whale, the Neighborhood Commercial Overlay in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, which doubles the amount of time it takes to open a restaurant. The ZBA approves 97% of these cases, making it more like a toll booth than a gate
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Eye-popping margins in the Pennsylvania special elections today: —Democrats won HD94 by 63 points. (Harris won it by 30 in 2024.) —Democrats won HD42 by 35 points. (Harris won it by 17 in 2024.) [The 2024 numbers are via the essential @the-downballot.com].
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gallandguile @gallandguile.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
I personally know two separate people who just won neighborhood races By Applying. Both were relatively shocked
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Dig into the ward politics of your neighborhood and get access to all the tools you need to win at 5th Square’s CP elections hub mini site 5thsq-ward-elections-hub.netlify.app
5thsq-ward-elections-hub.netlify.app
Philadelphia Committee Person Map — 5th Square PAC
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/committeeper...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
Committeeperson Elections, By the Numbers
Committeeperson may be the lowest elected office in Philly, but they're vital to civic engagement. And if you run...chances are, you’ll win
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
I wrote for @thephilacitizen.bsky.social about how uncompetitive the Philly committee person elections really are. Don’t be afraid to just go for it!
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20/02/2026
Trump: "I can do anything I want to do to them ... I'm allowed to destroy the country."
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Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Running for a committee person seat in Philly, or thinking about it? I’ve been making some cool Philly CP election tools for 5th Square with Claude. Sign up on their CP interest form to get access docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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