Study: Anti-blight initiative seems to be working
People can avoid blight court by keeping up with the Joneses.
CITY OFFICIALS yesterday outlined how a new method of levying hefty fines against negligent property owners has spurred them to clean up their messes.
Results of an analysis of the Department of Licenses & Inspections' targeted anti-blight program show that the combination of an existing city ordinance and a state law are having an impact on structural eyesores across the city.
Philadelphia's "windows and doors" ordinance requires all properties in mostly occupied city blocks to have working windows and doors at all times. With the 2010 passage of the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation & Revitalization Act (Act 90), Pennsylvania municipalities are given greater leverage in targeting blight.
So, L&I began imposing fines against owners whose properties had been boarded up or missing doors or windows. To ensure the owners acted on their citations, L&I can take them to "blight court" to deal with unresolved violations or pay a fine of $300 for every day no action is taken.
"We've found some of our biggest slum lords are pretty scared," said Rebecca Swanson, policy and communications officer for L&I.
"They hear the fines and that we can go after their assets - their big houses in Bucks County - they get scared and start to comply with the regulation. Having that extra arm from Act 90 on top of the city's ordinance has been helpful for us in getting compliance."
The study, by the Reinvestment Fund, identified about 25,000 vacant properties, mostly in North Central Philadelphia. The highest number of citations were issued in parts of Olney, Point Breeze, Pennsport, Oak Lane and Port Richmond.
Top officials from the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania say these efforts have resulted in an increase in home values, reduced tax delinquency and ultimately increased city revenue through fine collection.