Calling upon the Pennsylvania Senate to pass House Bill 1682, without amendment, and further calling upon the Governor to immediately sign it into law.

WHEREAS, Strong communities are important to the social and economic vitality of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Many communities within the Commonwealth are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties; and

WHEREAS, Vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties impose significant costs on neighborhoods, communities and municipalities by lower property values, increasing police and fire protection costs, decreasing tax revenues and undermining the quality of life for those residing therein; and

WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia there exist approximately 60,000 vacant lots and vacant structures, the majority of which are abandoned and tax delinquent ; and

WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia there are nearly 70,000 properties that are two or more years tax delinquent; and

WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia the majority of the vacant abandoned and tax delinquent properties remain in private ownership and represent a blighting influence in every neighborhood where they exist; and

WHEREAS, The current sheriff sale process is an ineffective tool for acquiring these properties and making them available for redevelopment; and

WHEREAS, There is an overriding public need to confront the problems caused by vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties through the creation of new tools to enable municipalities to turn vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties into productive assets and vibrant places; and

WHEREAS, It has been proven in other states that land banks are a tool that municipalities may use to facilitate the return of vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties to productive use; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1682 authorizes the creation of municipal land banks which empowers municipalities of this Commonwealth to efficiently acquire these vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties and facilitate redevelopment while eliminating the ability of speculators to let vacant land or abandoned properties sit idle; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1682 provides municipalities broad discretion to establish local policies to govern the implementation of a municipal land bank; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 1682 contains all the necessary elements and provisions for the establishment of effective and efficient land banks throughout the Commonwealth; therefore

be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls Upon the Pennsylvania Senate to pass House Bill 1682, without amendment, and further calls upon the Governor to immediately sign it into law.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted to the Majority and Minority Chairs of the Pennsylvania Senate's Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, the Majority and Minority Chairs of the Pennsylvania House of Representative's Urban Affairs Committee, the Philadelphia Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate, and the Governor as a representation of the true wishes and sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End