There are over 40,000 vacant parcels of property in Philadelphia. These parcels are associated with $3.6B in lost household wealth, cost the City of Philadelphia over $20M in maintenance costs each year and represent at least $2M in uncollected property taxes annually. The 2010 report, Vacant Land Management in Philadelphia: The Costs of the Current System and the Benefits of Reform, describe the scope of the problem and the value of reforming Philadelphia’s appr0ach to vacant land management.
The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania has put together a Quick Guide: New Tools to Address Blight and Abandonment, which contains summaries of newly enacted blight-related legislation and also identifies additional legislation that would help improve the ability of communities to respond to blight.
Some of the key provisions include:
- Land Bank Legislation
- Act 90 Code Enforcement
- Clear Title Bill
- Housing Trust Fund Fee
- Conservatorship
In addition, there are several policy initiatives underway in Philadelphia that are likely to impact blight-related efforts:
- Zoning Code/2035
- Land Bank
- Foreclosure Prevention
- Land Trust
