City Council passed a bill Thursday that will help longtime homeowners weather real-estate tax hikes in gentrifying neighborhoods, even if they aren’t low-income residents.

The bill, introduced by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, amends part of the Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP) by eliminating the 10-year limit that currently affects participants who make between 80 and 150 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

The city enacted LOOP in 2014 to protect longtime homeowners from abrupt rises in home valuations. To qualify for the program, a resident’s home value must increase by at least 300 percent in one tax year. For instance, if someone’s home was valued at $100,000 in 2017, but increased to $300,000 in 2018, that resident is eligible to receive a tax abatement assuming they meet certain criteria.

First, a LOOP participant must have lived in at that residence for longer than 10 years. Second, they must make below 150 percent of the median income, adjusted for family size. In Philadelphia, the standard AMI is about $58,000 for one person and $83,200 for a family of four. As of Sunday, that number increased to about $61,000 for one person and $87,400 for a four-person family, but the city has not adopted the updated numbers yet and will use the older figures to determine LOOP eligibility.

When LOOP was first enacted, the bill set a 10-year limit for all participants. But in 2016, Council passed an amendment that removed that 10-year limit for participants who made under 80 percent the AMI. Today’s amendment erases the 10-year limit completely