Brewster participates in public hearing on blight

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

A group of Democratic state lawmakers from Western Pennsylvania held a virtual public hearing last week to discuss issues of abandoned and blighted property conservatorship, blight’s impact on communities and tools to eradicate it while preserving the integrity of communities.

Representing the Mon Valley during the hearing was Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport.

“Making sure that blight does not continue to bring down our thriving communities is of the utmost importance,” Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, D-Brookline, said. “The premise of Act 135 and all blight remediation legislation are overall positive and essential to eliminating blight. The purpose of this hearing is to examine the act to make sure the law is being used for its intended purpose and make any necessary changes to achieve this goal.”

Act 135 of 2008, the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act, was passed to allow “responsible owners” to take over empty buildings that have become eyesores in neighborhoods for years, according to a release from the Pennsylvania Senate and House Democratic Policy Committees.

Sen. Katie Muth, D-Royersford, who is a Western Pennsylvania native, said that while Act 135 was passed to create a process to help rehab properties neglected by their owners, it has also been “criticized for taking away the due process of property owners, allowing land developers to acquire properties cheaply, making a profit and gentrifying neighborhoods in the process.”

The group wanted to “explore this act with people who are experts in the field,” and hear suggestions about how to eradicate blight and make Act 135 “fairer to all parties,” Fontana said.

Upper Allegheny Valley Community Development Corporation Director Gerald Driggs said blight conservatorship, as it is currently written into law, is a complicated and expensive process that should be streamlined.

His organization has adopted a strategy he calls “Proactive Blight Remediation.”

“We see blight remediation as a continuum that ranges from demolition to returning a blighted building to the tax rolls while meeting community needs and priorities and creating a viable community asset,” Driggs said.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.