October 1: Shutdown, Federal Housing Authority | Council wants tax abatement changes reconsidered | Trash time changed | Fishtown zoning workshop | Girard Mugshots closes

Hello, Eyes. Two important things today: First, welcome to October. Second, the government has entered a partial shutdown. 

In addition to shuttering the 401 national parks, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the government shut down could impact the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). The FHA guarantees about 30 percent of home mortgages, and during the government shut down, the FHA might not underwrite or approve any new loans. 

Five City Council members asked the Nutter administration to reconsider the consequences of a bill that would alter the 10-year tax abatement on new construction. The council members hope to see a “fiscal impact statement.” Meanwhile Councilman Goode is still pushing his bill that would end the 10-year tax abatement on the portion of property taxes that goes to the School District.

Yesterday we mentioned that a bill was moving through Council to allow people to put their trash outside at 5 p.m., rather than 7 p.m. Things jumped forward, and Acting Streets Commissioner David Perri said beginning today, residents can put trash out as early as 5 p.m. On April 1, the set-out time will return to 7 p.m.

To straighten out discrepancies between the new zoning code and what actually appears in some parts of Fishtown, the Fishtown Neighbors Association and the Planning Commission will host a community zoning and remapping workshop on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Fishtown Rec Center. The goal of the workshop is to begin to straighten out some discrepancies, like Frankford Ave, which is a primarily commercial corridor but has some single-family home zoning. 

The Mugshots on Girard Avenue has closed its doors, and Naked Philly calls the news a “particularly shame because this business was a pioneer of sorts on Girard Avenue.” According to Naked Philly, when the coffee shop opened three years ago, the corridor didn’t have its current level of momentum. 

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