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State lawmakers sign off on land bank bill ... finally
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
State lawmakers sign off on land bank bill ... finally
After more than a year of bouncing around the Pennsylvania House and Senate, a bill clearing the way for municipal land banks had to either pass or die in the Senate yesterday. Well, it passed, meaning that Philly could be one step closer to finally setting up a land bank. Meaning that the problem of Philly sitting on thousands of pieces of property scattered among the Department of Public Property, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the city itself could actually, potentially be solved — with fewer situations like this one. The land bank could be an important companion to the newly improved "front door" the Redevelopment Authority has set up to help sell off city-owned properties in a more orderly fashion. The bill's primary sponsor was Philly-based Rep. John Taylor, a Republican.
Philly City Council members Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Bill Green, Curtis Jones and Bobby Henon introduced legislation on a Philly land bank this February. "Legislation is never perfect, but we are extremely happy and very grateful for Rep. Taylor's and everyone else's efforts tot get this through the finish line," Quinones-Sanchez tells CP.
She says she's hoping to move forward with hearings on the local land bank in November and hopefully have it voted out of council well before budget discussions next year. She says it will be an important tool in acquiring tax-delinquent properties, taking sheriff's sales out of the equation in many cases and making condemnation of properties a simpler, less costly process. It will also "allow the city to look at comprehensive and neighborhood-to-neighborhood redevelopment strategies. We can have a short and a long-term discussion about full-fledged redevelopment."
Certainly you realize that the city sits on 1000's of pieces of land because city councilpeople choose to horde vacant properties and land rather than sell them.
This bill has some benefits. But getting rid of sheriffs auctions is not one of them- it just means the city collects less tax money and city council people collect more graft.
— samac
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