Bodegas and takeout spots in Kensington, Fairhill, Germantown and other neighborhoods will be forced to close overnight under legislation approved in the penultimate City Council meeting before summer recess Thursday.
Additionally, the body voted in favor of measures to speed up affordable housing builds and to examine reinstating a police force in Fairmount Park. The council then paused to hold the final committee meetings for Mayor Cherelle Parker's budget and Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative, which it hopes to introduce when it reconvenes later Thursday evening.
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The curfew legislation, which omits restaurants with liquor licenses, would force businesses in the entirety of the 7th and 8th Districts plus a portion of the 1st District to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Councilmember Quetcy Lozada (D-7th), introduced the measure in April following the success of a similar bill passed in 2024. It now awaits the mayor's signature and would expire at the end of 2026.
Following a shooting at near Lemon Hill Mansion on Memorial Day, the governing body also voted in favor of a resolution from Councilmember Curtis Jones (D-4th) to hold a hearing to consider reinstating the 92nd Police District in Fairmount Park. Two people were killed and nine others, including three teenagers, were injured during the incident, and police believe that six guns were fired in total. The precinct was disbanded in 2008 due to budgeting issues, WHYY reported.
A portion of the Safe Healthy Homes bill package, led by Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke of the Working Families Party, was introduced that would authorize an anti-displacement fund within the Department of Licenses and Inspections. The money would be used for a one-time payment for renters if they're forced to relocate during a cease operations order when a property is deemed unsafe. The two other bills, which would have given renters the right to unionize and prohibited landlords from refusing to rent due to a previous repairs issues, failed to pass out of the Housing Committee after a heated hearing earlier this week.
Two other housing bills from Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd), introduced in January, were also met with unanimous approval. The legislation, which is part of her Defying Displacement campaign, said that Licenses and Inspection must review zoning permit applications for affordable housing projects within five business days and building permit applications within 10 business days. It also expands the definition of an affordable housing project.
Gauthier said the measures "cut red tape" to speed up new builds.
The council also approved a resolution from Councilmember Anthony Phillips (D-9th) to create a special committee on early childhood development to examine the city's education options for students under 5. Additionally, a bill from Councilmember Rue Landau (D-At-Large) that would have allowed tenants to make the second payment of a two-month security deposit in installments was held until September after controversy during the meeting over its terms.
After pausing in the early afternoon, sessions were scheduled for the Committee of the Whole, Rules Committee and Finance Committee on the budget ahead of reconvening at 6 p.m. City Council also needs to formally introduce the mayor's 2026 budget during Thursday's session in order for a vote to happen next week before the body recesses for the summer. Council President Kenyatta Johnson declined to share what changes have been made to the document and what the holdup is in negotiations.
Though they're separate legislation, both the council and Mayor Cherelle Parker said they intend to pass the budget in tandem with the $2 billion H.O.M.E plan. The legislation calls for a new fixed-rate mortgage program, changes to the Land Bank, building 13,500 new homes and preserving 16,500 units, among other measures.
