The Albany Common Council is starting to craft legislation



The common council is already beginning to pass legislation that "a hearing shall not be granted in instances where the applicant, or the owner of property subject of the application, is an owner, part-owner or has an ownership interest in a building or buildings subject to the standards of Article XI (Maintenance of Vacant Buildings) or Article XIA (Vacant Building Registry) of Chapter 133 of this code and such buildings are not in compliance thereto. In such instances an application, which is otherwise complete in accordance with subsection A of this section, shall be held pending the resolution of issues related to compliance with such articles and payment of any penalties if applicable."

Similarly, the council is proposing legislation that "Any unpaid fees, fines or penalties levied against property, or owner(s) thereof, within the City of Albany that are owed to the City of Albany for the violation of any or all City laws, ordinances and promulgations, and of all state laws, shall be and remain a lien against the property, and such fees, fines or penalties shall be collected by the City from the owner(s) of such property in the same manner as taxes are collected, in that such fees, fines or penalties shall be added to the property tax bill of the subject property, and the City may institute an action at law against such owner(s)to recover the cost thereof."

The mayor is focusing resources


Mayor's Block by Block Announcement (external link)

And the list goes on...


Just over the last few months, here are suggestions I have heard to help fix the abandoned building problems:

  1. Beef up code enforcement and levy meaningful fines against problem properties.
  2. Hold owners accountable by passing on the cost of higher police, fire and code services to vacant building owners.
  3. Use fines to fund the Albany County Housing Trust Fund and other community development work.
  4. Investigate and prosecute speculators who buy houses through the federal Housing and Urban Development that are meant to assist owner-occupant buyers.
  5. Offer abandoned properties to adjoining owner-occupants at minimal cost.
  6. Ban investors from bidding at municipal foreclosure sales if they lack building permits to renovate earlier acquisitions.
  7. Restrict local development zones to areas in the greatest need: low-income census tracts where abandoned buildings are prevalent.
  8. Strengthen anti-predatory lending measures.
  9. Expand tax credits for preservation and repair of historic properties.
  10. Limit property insurance payouts until damaged parcels are code compliant.
  11. Put signs on abandoned buildings that identify the owners.
  12. Raise the property tax valuation from $5000 to something meaningful.
  13. A detailed and constantly updated real property information system, accessible by the public.
  14. Create a land bank, which is a mechanism for taking control of abandoned properties, maintaining them, and finding good, non-speculative owners for them.
  15. Change the relationship between the city and county on foreclosures, in which the county pays some taxes to the city, takes ownership of properties and sells them off at auction to speculators. This is short-term cash boost to the city that is a long-term drain on the city in lost property taxes and all the other costs associated with these properties. The land bank should take all foreclosed properties.
  16. Revise and enforce our vacant property ordinances so that "owners of vacant property are responsible for absolutely everything their buildings cause." Mallach recommended graduated fees (in Wilmington DE they double every year) and billing owners for code inspections, police calls, fire calls, etc. and then going after the liens.
  17. Putting out a bond for forgivable loans (i.e. if you meet certain criteria, like living in the house for X years you don't have to pay it back) for owner-occupants to rehab abandoned properties. This would be gap financing, just covering the difference between rehab costs and market value. It would easily pay for itself in increased property taxes.
  18. Support existing anti-foreclosure programs.

Do you have more ideas? Send them to me and I will add them to this article!