Property Control: Neighborhood groups wary of land-bank bill

A land-bank bill that would change the way tens of thousands of parcels across the city could be redeveloped is drawing criticism from community groups, who argue the legislation doesn't do enough to include them.

"The community approval process is not clear at all," says Carl Redwood, chairman of the Hill District Consensus Group. "And without full community participation, the land-bank legislation can be a way to fast-track what developers want to do in spite of the community's wishes."

The bill's supporters say the legislation is a work in progress, and say they hope community groups will help craft a mechanism to give themselves influence over the disposition of land in their neighborhoods.

Consternation among some community groups came after Pittsburgh City Councilor Deb Gross introduced legislation Jan. 14 that would create a Pittsburgh land bank an entity separate from city council that would act as a central clearinghouse for blighted, vacant or tax-delinquent properties. Under state law, the land bank would be authorized to expedite the title-clearing process and deal with existing tax liabilities, allowing for more efficient reuse of distressed land.

Gross' legislation gives a seven-member board the authority to decide what happens to property in the land bank. Three of the board's members would be appointed by council; four would be appointed by the mayor.

The legislation currently specifies that the use of land "shall be consistent with the provisions of the City's Comprehensive Plan and any adopted neighborhood plans." Where such plans don't exist, "the Land Bank shall determine that proposed uses are consistent with the goals of the community by consulting with any community groups in the area [as well as] the Department of City Planning, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh."

Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation, says she's supportive of land banks in theory, but worries about how the land bank will operate in communities that don't have formalized community plans.

"The Hill District has a community plan, but formal codification of that is different," Milliones says, adding that the city has not systematically provided resources for community planning. "[The legislation] has to take into consideration neighborhoods with very large amounts of vacant land like the Hill District and Homewood and parts of the North Side."

Although the bill is at the top of Mayor Bill Peduto's legislative agenda, the community-inclusion process "was one of the things that was intentionally left a little bit vague so we could solicit feedback," says Matthew Barron, Peduto's policy manager. Letting the legislation develop after it is introduced is "not unique to this legislation," he says.

Nate Hanson, Gross' chief of staff, says Gross is open to amendments and will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thu., Feb. 20, at Pittsburgh City Council chambers, so that "[as] many people who want to speak [will] be able to speak."

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Property Control: Neighborhood groups wary of land-bank bill