Parker asks Council to let the airport buy or condemn a lot on Enterprise Avenue

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has asked City Council to authorize the Department of Aviation to acquire a property at 8400 Enterprise Avenue, next to Philadelphia International Airport, by purchase, negotiation or other means, including condemnation if needed.

Her letter, dated Oct. 29 and placed on file at that day's session as Communication 260911, transmits a proposed ordinance and recommends Council's "favorable consideration" (letter). Condemnation is the city's power of eminent domain: taking private property for public use while paying the owner fair value.

What's on the site

A commercial real estate listing describes 8400 Enterprise Avenue as a 9,020-square-foot industrial building on 0.79 acres, zoned for heavy industry and offered for sale, in the airport industrial area reachable from I-95's Enterprise Avenue exit (CommercialCafe). The mayor's letter doesn't say what the airport plans to do with it.

What our records add

Council has approved this kind of request for the airport twice in the past year, both times unanimously:

• Bill 251017, for 4521 Island Avenue, from Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson. It went to the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, passed 17-0 on Dec. 11, 2025, and was signed Dec. 17.
• Bill 260427, for 8800 Tinicum Boulevard, from Johnson and Mike Driscoll. It went to the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities, passed 17-0 on June 11, 2026, and was signed June 12.

Both used the same wording as the new proposal, which lists purchase, "amicable negotiation" and condemnation among the ways the city may acquire the land. Both also named the Director of Aviation as the official who would make the acquisition.

Not a bill yet. In our records, the Oct. 29 introductions don't include a bill for 8400 Enterprise Avenue. In Philadelphia, a councilmember introduces such legislation, often at the administration's request, before it can be referred to a committee and heard.

The same day, the mayor also sent a letter on Planning Commission recommendations (Communication 260909) and a reappointment to the City Avenue Special Services District board (Communication 260912).

Why it matters

Airport land deals rarely draw attention, but condemnation can force a sale. Owners and tenants of a property named in such a bill can testify when it gets its committee hearing.

What's next

Watch for a bill on the 8400 Enterprise Avenue site at Council's Nov. 12 session. Once introduced, it would go to a committee for a public hearing before any vote. We will link it here when it appears.