Now, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Allegheny County will have a say in determining how the city handles run-down properties.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously agreed to increase the number of members on Pittsburgh’s land bank board from nine to 11.
The school district and county will each designate a person to join the board.
The mayor, council, and existing board members will continue to evenly share control of the remaining nine seats.
The Council also passed a resolution allowing the land bank to skip paying back taxes to the city, county, and school district when it purchases run-down properties.
Mayor Ed Gainey stated, “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done to prepare our land bank to handle properties more effectively. This new agreement will enable us to involve all stakeholders in the success of our land bank.”
Councilmen R. Daniel Lavelle, Bobby Wilson and Khari Mosley, who are all board members of the land bank, sponsored both pieces of legislation.
Lavelle and Wilson commended the city’s cooperation with the school district and county.
Wilson remarked, “We are connected — our efforts to fight run-down properties and support low-income families are shared responsibilities, ensuring the prosperity of our communities.”
Established in 2014, the land bank, which is linked to the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, takes over vacant and deserted properties and repurposes them.
Last year, the land bank completed its first sale of run-down properties about ten years after it was formed.
Officials last year, an agreement between the land bank, the city, and the URA was approved. This allowed the entities to transfer properties to each other. Officials stated that the land bank could not function properly without this deal in place.
