Fwd: LAND BANKING Information Session on 7/23/19
Tobias Fox
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2019 3:57:35 PM
Subject: NPA: LAND BANKING Information Session on 7/23/19
On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Newark People’s Assembly in partnership with the Department of Housing and Economic Development and Newark CEDC will host a land banking information session, “Accelerating Neighborhood & Economic Development In the City of Newark” at 6:30pm in the Municipal Council Chambers in City Hall.
I hope to see you there,
Andréa L. Mason, Senior Manager
Newark People’s Assembly
Office of the Mayor- Mayor Ras J. Baraka
920 Broad Street
· Room 315 · Newark · NJ · 07102
973-733-3265 (o) 973-803-6373 (c)
mas...@ci.newark.nj.us
“MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD”
Register for Newark People’s Assembly by visiting: http://bit.ly/newarkpeoplesassembly.
From: Mason, Andrea
On Behalf Of newarkpeoplesassembly
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2019 2:34 PM
SAVE THE DATE:
Newark People’s Assembly will host the 1st information session on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 6:30pm; location:TBD.
GOVERNOR MURPHY AND MAYOR BARAKA SIGN SWEEPING LAND BANK LAW PROVIDING NEWARK
AND OTHER CITIES A POWERFUL NEW TOOL TO REDEVELOP ABANDONED PROPERTIES
This is a major victory for Mayor Baraka and the NJ Urban Mayors in years-long struggle to expedite the rebirth of blighted neighborhoods
Newark, NJ-July 10, 2019- At a news conference this afternoon, Governor Phil Murphy, alongside Mayor Ras J. Baraka, signed the New Jersey Land Bank bill into law at 385 South Orange Avenue, in the midst of a blighted West Ward area. This legislation, for the first time, authorizes New Jersey communities to create land banks to acquire and maintain vacant and abandoned properties in a systematic fashion, and dispose of them in ways that ensure they are redeveloped or reused for long-term community benefit.
Land banks can help towns and cities assemble and restore blighted/abandoned properties and put them back on the tax rolls and revitalize neighborhoods. This revolutionary approach has been used successfully in Ohio, Michigan, and New York State. The law allows New Jersey towns and cities to designate a land bank entity to obtain vacant, abandoned, and neglected properties for productive reuse purposes. It provides municipalities with a tool to revitalize and reuse properties for public benefit.
“Where some see blight, we see promise,” said Governor Murphy. “Whether it is in Newark, Paterson, Trenton, or Camden, the creation of a land bank will be a powerful tool for taking empty and overlooked properties and turning them into places where residents can live and work, and where a new sense of community can be ignited.”
“Communities often face complex challenges when securing finances and resources for projects in blighted areas and our hope is that by allowing municipalities to create a public land bank, it will help ease the process of transforming properties from brownfields to successful redevelopment projects,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “These impactful projects have the power to spur on economic growth, create jobs and revitalize an entire community.”
“This land bank law is monumental for New Jersey and will have an enormous impact on Newark,” said Mayor Baraka. “For more than 50 years, vacant and abandoned properties have blighted some of our neighborhoods and affected the quality of life of our residents. With this new law, we are finally turning the page! This important tool will empower the people of Newark to acquire these properties, restore them, and transform them into community assets.”
Under the New Jersey Land Bank Law, municipalities will be allowed to designate a non-profit organization or a public entity as the municipality’s land bank entity. The public entities which a municipality may designate as a land bank entity include redevelopment entities, county improvement authorities, and departments and agencies of the municipality itself. Land bank entities will be permitted to acquire properties on its own and act as a municipality’s agent to purchase liens at a tax sale, carry out lien foreclosures, and take individual abandoned properties.
Primary sponsors of the legislation include Senator Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey.
“Creating land banks and posting available properties online will allow municipalities to create positive redevelopment plans in our communities. Doing this in a responsible way can lead to revitalized cities and neighborhoods that existing residents can still afford to live in,” said Senator Ruiz. “By repurposing foreclosed or abandoned properties as quickly as possible we can prevent them from becoming areas that attract negative activity. It also has the potential to promote economic development and expand housing opportunities in both urban and rural parts of our state.”
“As we work to combat our State’s critical housing shortage, it makes sense for us to equip municipalities with as many tools TO provide affordable housing and larger development, as well as reduce the number of vacant and abandoned properties,” said Assemblywoman Mila Jasey. “Designating single entities to act on behalf of municipalities will hopefully expedite the turnover process, and help us find productive uses for these properties.”
“This bill will go a long way in helping Trenton get abandoned properties back on the tax rolls and redeveloped into projects that benefit the community,” said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. “Land banks allow us to build mixed-income housing and other large development projects, we will be able to make great progress in revitalizing parts of Trenton that need new life while creating economic growth and job opportunities for Trentonians.”
The law provides for accountability to local communities through the requirement for community advisory boards with mandatory access to certain information and opportunities for the board to comment on the land bank entity’s decisions.
Land bank entities will further be required to develop and maintain an online, publicly accessible database of current and former land bank properties. The community advisory board must issue an annual report on the accuracy, integrity, accessibility, and comprehensiveness of the land bank entity’s online database.
The New Jersey Land Bank Law will take effect immediately.
-NEWARK-
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