Task force aims to combat damage of vacant property
Vacant and abandoned properties attract crime, fall into disrepair and put an incredible strain on municipalities that are left to deal with significant property code violations. These properties have negative equity impact on each and every property around them.
These properties are located in every part of our county and affect all of us. Studies have shown that the presence of a vacant property can diminish property values of homes within 300 feet of that property by just over 1 percent. That might not sound like a lot, but that translates to a roughly $2 million reduction in the value of homes in the Town of Irondequoit alone. Add this up across the county and we are talking about a significant impact on homeowners and governments.
For many families, home ownership is the largest investment they will ever make, and their only significant asset. We can all agree that it is fundamentally unfair that someone else’s actions – whether deliberate or not – can dramatically depreciate that asset.
Monroe County has a number of organizations doing great work in this field, but there is a lack of coordination and information sharing. Now we have over two dozen local governments taking two dozen different approaches in dealing with this issue. Some of these approaches are working, and some are not.
Monroe County has a long history of strong and effective coalitions. That is why we have created a Vacant and Abandoned Property Task Force, which we envision will serve as a model to the state for tackling these problems. The task force includes representatives from all levels of government, court, lenders, neighborhood groups and community leaders in the field of housing.
The goals of the task force are to:
•Reduce the number of properties going into foreclosure
• Develop and identify best practices for local government
•Identify solutions to have vacant properties re-occupied
• Improve the maintenance of vacant properties
• Serve as a clearing-house and coordinating body for ongoing and new initiatives
• Make recommendations and advocate for statute and regulatory reforms at the local, state and federal government level
•Support current efforts being implemented by various stakeholders
This task force can’t solve this problem alone, but it can and should serve a role in coordinating activities, guiding best practices, and making recommendations on how we can do better.
In order to be successful, the task force must hear everyone’s ideas. We will seek public input through multiple community forums in June and July that will be announced in the next few weeks. Over the summer, we will be drafting a report with specific strategies and recommendations that we hope to release to the public in the fall.
The release of the report is not the final goal. The next step will be to implement the recommendations – and this will require a coordinated effort among all groups within our community.
The problem of vacant and abandoned properties is not a new crisis. We will always have some vacant properties for different reasons, but this task force will create a set of tools to help us make strides to reduce the number of these homes and to tackle the negative impact they have on our neighborhoods.
Monroe County Clerk Adam Bello and Rebecca Caico, senior attorney at Empire Justice Center, are co-chairs of Monroe County Task Force on Vacant and Abandoned Properties