Who “owns” my lot?
Use the City’s Atlas tool to look up who “owns” your lot. The first step to winning ownership is figuring out who owns the lot- whether it’s the Land Bank, PHA, US Bank, the City of Philadelphia, or privately owned.
The Iglesias Gardens spans dozens of once-vacant lots. The above map shows the laundry list of land owners. This is an accurate depiction of many community gardens across the City of Philadelphia. If you are looking to gain ownership of land you or your neighbors steward, the path forward looks different based on who technically owns it.
The Land Bank of Philadelphia
If the Philadelphia Land Bank owns your lot, there are some options: part of their job is transferring vacant land to residents who have stewarded it and to community gardens and community groups.
US Bank Lien
US Bank Liens are a tool of gentrification. In 1997, the City sold off liens to 33,000 lots Philadelphia to a private bank. Read more here and here.
We have been organizing to preserve the vacant lots still held by US Bank Liens. Please reach out if you steward a US Bank Lien lot or want to join our organizing efforts.
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Cesar Andreú Iglesias Community Garden 