Pittsburgh Considers Land Bank

Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Deb Gross is proposing legislation that would the create a Land Bank for the city of Pittsburgh, a mechanism that could streamline the process of redeveloping tax-delinquent land, parcels that are often the blighted eyesores of communities.  Ms Gross wants public input on many of the program's details.

Land Banks are quasi-governmental entities created by counties or municipalities to effectively manage and repurpose an inventory of underused, abandoned or foreclosed property. They are often chartered to have powers that allow them to accomplish these goals in ways that existing government agencies can not. While the land bank "model" has gained broad support and has been implemented in a number of cities, they are implemented differently so as to best address both municipal needs and the state and local legal context in which they were created.

 

In 2012, the Pennsylvania state Legislature passed the State Land Bank Act, which allowed for the creation of land banks. Since the passage of the law, Westmoreland County, Dauphin County and Philadelphia have created land banks. Pittsburgh's land bank could take many forms. It could be a subsidiary of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, or it could be its own authority.

The text of the proposed legislation can be found on the City Clerk's web site for those of you who like to delve into the details.   Meetings will be scheduled for public comment, probably in the next 30 days ..... so be on the lookout for those dates.



Councilwoman Deb Gross
Land Bank Legislation
Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate