About a year ago, the Philadelphia RDA condemned property owned by a nationally recognized artist. This condemnation received a great deal of local and national attention including newspaper and radio coverage (I was interviewed by one station). The property owner, James Dupree, used this property as his studio. The property was one of 17 properties
Redevelopment
Hoboken Found To Have Misapplied Property Rehabilitation Law
The New Jersey Appellate Division recently held that Hoboken cannot designate an 11.5-acre site in the city as an “area in need of rehabilitation,” which had allowed it to implement a redevelopment plan. It found that the Hoboken City council misinterpreted the appropriate statute. The Appellate Division held that it was unclear whether the council…
Philadelphia Mayor Signs Land Bank Bill
Mayor Nutter recently signed the Land Bank law and predicted that the City could start selling the its vacant and tax-delinquent properties by the end of the year. The bill creates a new entity to manage Philadelphia’s vacant land, acquire tax-delinquent properties and sell them. There is an estimated 9,500 city-owned vacant properties and 17,000 …
Texas Supreme Court Will Hear Environmental Stigma Damages Case
The Texas Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a challenge to a jury’s award of “stigma” damages for contaminated property that was remediated. In that case, the Court will consider whether temporary environmental harm can form the basis of a cause of action.
Oral argument is scheduled for Dec. 5. The case is Houston Unlimited…
PA House Passes Blighted Properties Rehabilitation Law
The PA House of Representatives passed a bill decreasing the time allowed for nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate and sell abandoned blighted properties. HB 1363 seeks to amend the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act by decreasing the time for court action on a petition from within 120 days of receipt of the petition to 60 …
PA Considers Controversial Park Sale Bill
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering a bill which would permit governmental entities to sell its public parks. The concern expressed by many – including newspaper columnists and groups such as the League of Women Voters – is that government officials will improperly use this as a “quick fix” to solve fiscal problems. For example…
Municipalities Armed with New Prosecution Tools For Derelict Property Owners
On April 25, 2011, the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act, approved on October 27, 2010, became effective. The Act grants municipalities two primary tools to prosecute derelict owners of real estate in Pennsylvania and force owners to correct serious code violations and public nuisances.
The first tool is the right to sue the owner…
Philadelphia RDA Changes Executive Director
Terry Gillen has resigned as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and will be replaced by Ed Covington, a Wachovia Bank executive.
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Governor Rendell Signs Approval/Permit Suspension Legislation
On July 6, 2010, Governor Rendell signed the Fiscal Code Bill (Senate Bill 1042), providing, in part, for the automatic suspension, during the "extension period" (which begins after December 31, 2008, and ends before July 2, 2013), of approvals granted by a government agency for or in effect during the extension period, whether obtained before…
Philadelphia Trying To Beat Deadline To Spend $45M To Fight Blight
The City of Philadelphia has until March 2011 to spend $45 million to fight blight.
The money is the last of the bond proceeds for the city’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative that former Mayor John F. Street started in 2001 to demolish abandoned buildings and acquire vacant properies.
Continue Reading Philadelphia Trying To Beat Deadline To Spend $45M To Fight Blight