Addressing Blight
Neighborhood blight and vacant and abandoned properties have profound negative impacts on affected communities — they decrease surrounding property values, erode the health of local housing markets, pose safety hazards, and reduce local tax revenue.
community initiatives
Blight Mitigation and Property Reclamation
The Redevelopment Authorities under Pennsylvania's Urban Redevelopment Law (URA) have significant powers for the acquisition, management, and disposition of blighted properties. The URA includes specific descriptions of characteristics to be considered when declaring a property blighted.
City of Erie Blighted Property
Review Committee
The City of Erie's Blighted Property Review Committee (BPRC) is the first body to consider whether a property meets this criteria to be deemed blighted. It is the ultimate goal of the city, the BPRC, and the Redevelopment Authority for responsible property owners to remediate the blighted conditions. If conditions are not promptly corrected or if public safety conditions warrant, the Redevelopment Authority can use eminent domain powers to acquire the property, make the necessary improvements (which may include demolition of any structures), and identify a new appropriate use or owner for the property.
BLIGHTED PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
BPRC Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month @ Erie City Hall, Council Chambers
DEVELOPER SELECTION
The URA also provides the ability to negotiate the selection of a developer based on the merits of the application for redevelopment rather than the highest bid for a property. These powers are important for the elimination of blight and obtaining a redeveloper to work in accordance with the authority's developer agreement.
Properties determined to be blighted by the City of Erie BPRC are not owned by the Redevelopment Authority until action is taken. Any properties available for purchase from the authority are listed on our available properties page.
