Pennsylvania blight-busting law may have unintended impacts inquirer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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While abandoned and blighted properties have always been a concern, the harsh economic impact that COVID-19 has had on neighborhoods has exacerbated the conditions surrounding these struggling properties. Prior to the pandemic, there was steady growth with new developments barely being able to keep up with the demand. Now, leasing is down as renters and homeowners are struggling with record high unemployment, reduced income and lost wages, and business owners being forced to close their doors.
Abandoned and blighted properties exist throughout Pennsylvania in both rural and urban areas and in residential and commercial developments. If your property is located adjacent to or even in the vicinity of an abandoned or blighted property, you are right to be concerned about its impact on your property’s value, the costs of hazard insurance, the reduced local tax revenue and safety hazards posed by the neglected property. So w
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An aerial view of the derelict Spring Garden Station that was once part of the Reading Railroad. (Courtesy of Arts & Crafts Holdings)
Two private groups have filed a petition seeking to take legal stewardship over an abandoned train station along the Reading Viaduct, a decrepit former rail line that cuts through the heart of gentrifying neighborhoods north of Center City and has long been eyed for an elevated park.
Arts & Crafts Holdings, a real estate development company, and nonprofit Scioli Turco filed a petition last week in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas seeking conservatorship for 901 Spring Garden St. That is the legal address of the former Spring Garden Station, which adjoins the elevated rail line and has sat abandoned for decades.