§16-404. The Vacant Property Review Committee.
(1) A Vacant Property Review Committee is hereby created
to be composed of the executive heads or their designees of the
following:
[29] (a) The Department of
Public Property;
(b) The Department of Revenue;
(c) The City
Planning Commission;
(d) The Redevelopment Authority;
(e) The
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation;
(f) The Department of
Licenses and Inspections;
(g) President of City Council or his
designee;
(h) The Philadelphia Housing Development
Corporation;
[30] (i) Chairman, City
Council Committee on Public Property and Public Works;
(j) Director of
Housing and Community Development.
(k) The Philadelphia Commercial
Development Corporation.
[31] (l) The
Department of
Commerce.
[32] (m) Philadelphia
Association of Community Development
Corporations.
[33] (2) The Vacant
Property Review Committee shall serve as an advisory committee to determine
whether or not to recommend or certify to the Commissioner of Public Property
whether title to certain properties shall be accepted by the Commissioner of
Public Property.
(3) The Vacant Property Review Committee before
certifying or recommending acceptance of title to property, to the Commissioner
of Public Property shall:
(a) Examine all properties submitted to the
City for acquisition under the provisions of this Section and shall only approve
those properties for acquisition which meet one or more of the standards and
terms set forth in this section as follows:
(.1) The property or
grounds offered are vacant, blighted, abandoned, delinquent in the payment of
taxes due, unfit for human habitation, a public nuisance, or a danger to the
community under the provisions of this Section or any Section of The
Philadelphia Code of General Ordinances.
(.2) The property constitutes
all or part of a parcel of ground which is designated for a public purpose by
the City or any of its constituent agencies.
(.3) The property is
delinquent in the payment of taxes and/or municipal liens charged against
it.
[34] (4) The Vacant Property Review
Committee shall determine what City surplus properties are suitable to
effectuate the purposes of this Chapter and shall give its recommendation to the
Commissioner of Public Property that these properties be made available for
disposition in accordance with the provisions of this
Chapter.
[35] (5) The Vacant Property
Review Committee, in conjunction with the City Planning Commission, upon making
a determination that any property is blighted, and not readily acquirable by
donation for reasons as hereinbefore provided in the legislative findings, may
certify said blighted property to the Redevelopment Authority for acquisition
pursuant to the provisions of Act No. 94 of June 23, 1978, amending the act of
May 24, 1945 (P.L. 991, No. 385) known as the "Urban Redevelopment Law," except
that:
[36] (a) No property shall be
certified to the Redevelopment Authority unless it is
vacant.
[37] (b) No property shall be
certified to the Redevelopment Authority unless the owner of the property or an
agent designated by him for receipt of service of notices within the City of
Philadelphia has been served with notice of the determination that the property
is blighted, together with an appropriate order to eliminate the conditions
causing the blight and notification that failure to do so may render the
property subject to condemnation. The notice shall be served upon the owner or
his agent in accordance with the provisions pertaining to service of notice of
determination of a public nuisance. The owner or agent shall have the right of
appeal from the determination in the same manner as an appeal from the
determination of a public
nuisance.
[38] (c) No blighted property
shall be certified to the Redevelopment Authority until the time period for
appeal has expired and no appeal has been taken, or, if taken, the appeal has
been disposed of, and the owner or his agent has failed to comply with the
order.
[39] (d) No single vacant lot or
parcel of ground shall be certified to the Redevelopment Authority on which more
than ten (10) dwelling units can be constructed under existing zoning
regulations.
[40] (6) The Vacant
Property Review Committee shall, in cooperation with the City Planning
Commission, determine the conditions of title to be incorporated into the deed
for each property to be disposed of pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.
Failure of compliance with said conditions will cause title to the property to
revert to the ownership of the City of Philadelphia, or the Redevelopment
Authority of the City of Philadelphia, automatically, without any conveyance
thereof being required, upon notice that such failure exists and no attempt is
made to remedy such failure. Such conditions shall include, but not necessarily
be limited to, the
following:
[41] (a) The property shall
be developed and used in accordance with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan of the
City of Philadelphia.
(b) The property shall be rehabilitated and/or
improved and said rehabilitation and/or improvement is to be completed within
one year of acquisition of title, unless practical cause is shown why the time
for completion should be extended, provided that no extension of time shall be
for more than six (6) months, except with further approval of the Vacant
Property Review Committee.