Category Archives: blight

Oklahoma Town Uses Blight Finding to Trigger Economic Development Tools.

A blight study determined portions of “downtown” Muskogee, OKlahoma are blighted. The sstudy was requested by the city as a means to trigger economic development tools for redevelopment.

The local paper supports th fidning of blight in downtown.

Muskogee Phoenix | EDITORIALLY SPEAKING: ‘Blight’ study critical to downtown

4 Cities. 4 Different Ways of Using Data to Track and Stop Blight.

  • New Orleans. Digital scorecard streamlined the process post-Katrina.
  • South Bend. Made the process more transparent. More information to the public sparked significant improvements in the city’s code enforcement process.
  • Detroit. mobile application aptly called “Blexting,” allowed 150 residents and volunteers surveyed the entire city to compile the database and citywide property map
  • Cinncinati. predictive modeling allows for early intervention by building inspectors

Government Technology…

Brewing Property Rights Trend. City Ordinances. Front Yard Fences.

City: Tyler TX

The front yard fence ordinance that concerns property rights advocates: Requiring a special-use permit to have a fence of any kind in the front yard

What was Tyler’s goal of special use permits for front yard fencing? To stop blighted properties which they tied to chain link fences.

In the words of a Tyler City Council Members: 

  • chain-link makes neighborhoods look like prison yards
  • fences in the front yard are in areas that are headed downward economically

Tyler Morning…

Lege TREND. End Run Around Kelo with Blight Redevelopment.

What’s happening in Georgia?

  • In 2006 Geogria passed Kelo based eminent domain reforms
  • In 2017, the Georgia Legislature has passed a bill to allow property to be acquired by eminent domain and to be transferred to a private developer if the property is blighted

Atlanta Constitution Journal | Watchdog: Georgia bill lets cities take blighted land for developers

Georgia House Bill 434  (2017) 

2006 Eminent Domain Reform. Halts Blight Revitalization. 3 Key Pieces of Information. Read the 2017 Legislative Fix.

  • In 2006, Georiga passed eminent domain reform by way of House Bill 1313
  • The problems with HB 1313 from 2006
    • eminent domain used on blighted properties causes a block on a city re-selling the property for 20 years
    • cities can no loner acquire multiple parcels for redevelopment purposes
  • The 2017 legislative fix
    • allow for the creation of an “urban development authority”
    • the urban development authority would be allowed to:
      • eradicate blight and spur economic development
      •  provide…

Peach State. Allow Repurchase Faster. 4 Key Points.

How long does a person have to wait to purchase property taken by eminent domain in Georgia? The proeprty  must have been put to public use for 20 years

What repurchase proposal is being considered? Immediate purchase of property tken by eminent domain for blight

What group will be most impacted by this change? minority communities

What alternative city action could mitigate this state law change?  Stronger locla code enforcement

FOX 28 | Eminent domain amendment proposal to tackle…

1 Town. 3 Steps to Combat Zombie Property

The town of DeWitt, NY is facing zombies in the shape of  zombie properties. Here’s the town’s strategy to erradicate zombies:

  • Acquire abndonded property via eminent domain
  • Transfer the property to the Greater Syracuse Lank Bank
  • the Greater Syracuse Lank Bank restores the homes
  • The homes are then resold to new homeowners

Eagle News Online | DeWitt Town Board makes strides to combat ‘zombie properties’

Eminent Domain as Blight Leverage? Lessons from a Peachy City

the City: Savannah Georgia

What legislative change does Savannah want?

  • To Charge a blight tax

What do local community leaders want to help blight?

  • To be allowed to use eminent domain to enourage property owners to clean up properties as a way to help the property owners who live near the eyesores.

WTOC 11 | Savannah leaders looking at eminent domain to address chronically blighted property

 

Can a city sue a bank? When bank actions led to blight?

What city wants to sue banks? Miami

Why is Miami suing? Big banks created discriminatory lending practices that led to foreclosures, less tax revenue & blight

Is this a new kind of lawsuit? No the federal government has been settling suits like this against big banks.

Washington Post | Supreme Court seems to favor Miami suing banks whose lending practices led to neighborhood blight

Eminent Domain + Abandoned Properties = Resell for Local Government Revenue

Where is this happening? Atlantic City, NJ

What is Atlantic City doing with abandoned property? taking over abandonded property using eminent domain

Is the city keeping the property it takes by eminent domain or reselling it? Reselling it to developers

How does this fit with blight laws? It is “spot blight eminent domain” thereby instead of taking multiple parcels of land, it is specific abandonded parcels of land

Press of Atlantic City | Atlantic City to hold meeting on…