State of the Land Report: Quarter 4 Wrap-Up Posted on December 18, 2023 by skylar@groundedpgh.org Share this post State of the Land Report: Quarter 4 Wrap-UpThe State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!State of the Land UpdatesProperty Tax Inequity in Allegheny CountyHomeowners are responsible for paying taxes on their property. These revenues fund many of the local government’s activities. Concerningly, in Allegheny County, low-income homeowners in distressed communities end up footing a disproportionate amount of the bill. Property is taxed as a percentage of its value. The value of a home is determined by an assessment conducted by the county, and your taxes are based on the assessed value. However, most homes in Allegheny County have not been assessed since 2012. In this image, the green bar represents the Sale Value while the red represents the assessed valueIn certain neighborhoods, home values have increased but the assessed value (and therefore the amount of taxes owed) is still the same as it was 12 years ago. This means people in affluent areas are paying a lower percentage of their home’s value in taxes. In other neighborhoods, it is the opposite; home values have decreased, but the assessed value (and therefore the amount of taxes owed) is the same. This means people in low-income, usually black communities, are paying the same amount as in 2012, even though their homes have decreased in value, which means they are paying a higher percentage of their home’s real value in taxes. On top of the changing home values, low-value homes are chronically over-assessed, and high-value homes are under-assessed. In this image, the blue represents the property taxes, which is the same for both houses, while the purple represents the amount of taxes the person is paying. Even though the blue and purple are the same, the purple is a much higher percentage of the home’s value (green) in the low-value home, while it is a much smaller percentage of the high-value home.This needs to be addressed as a matter of racial and economic justice. On the campaign trail, our new County executive, Sara Innamorato, spoke about the importance of reassessing the value of all properties in Allegheny County to make property taxes more equitable. Check in next month to learn more about how this affects communities and individuals.Sources: Presentation given to Grounded Stewards by Harrison Smith, pghpropertytax.org, pghpropertytax.org/FAQ.pdf, alleghenycounty.us/real-estate/index.aspx, To reassess or not to reassess? Property tax mess awaits next Allegheny County exec, Unbalanced: An artist takes on the racial tilt of Allegheny County’s aging property assessmentsPast SOTLR UpdatesFollow up from April 2023 SOTLR: Bethel AME receives land after long fight for justice, plans to develop affordable housing. In April, the Penguins finally returned land to Bethel AME Church. The original church was demolished when the city took the land via eminent domain to construct the Civic Arena in 1957. You can read more about this in our April 2023 State of the Land Report. Public Source published updates on the housing development. Read more about it here!Advocacy 101: Calling and Writing to your City CouncilpersonPhoto Courtesy of 90.5 WESAWho is your Pittsburgh city councilperson? Here’s how to find out!Go to this website and click on the “City Council Map”. Find your neighborhood and figure out which district you live in.Go to this web page and click on your district, then contact info under your council person’s tab. How to contact them You can contact your council person remotely via a phone call, email, or written letterYou can find their phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses here, or on their page linked above. What to say: Your nameYour address or neighborhoodWhat issue you are calling about. This can be a specific bill, or a response to something that is happening in your neighborhood or the city as a whole. Why you care and/or why this matters to you. You should be specific and personal. If you are following a script sent out by an organization, try to personalize it as much as possible. What you want them to do about it. This can be supporting specific legislation, (Optional) Provide contact information so they can reach back out to you. Thank them for their time. Advocacy NetworkThank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here.Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the environmental and racial injustices currently entrenched in our property management system. The lack of a comprehensive and unified strategy to care for vacant lots disproportionately affects low-income communities of color. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an anti-racist framework. Help make change happen in local, state, and federal land-use policies, voice your concerns about vacant land in your community, share how you want to see vacant land transformed, and support your neighbors in obtaining land access and ownership.Subscribe to Advocacy NetworkLand Use News Urban Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank UpdatesNew law will help lessen privately owned blight in Pittsburgh *Grounded does not support the use of the word "blight." Click here for more information.Pittsburgh Land Bank completed 1st sales in 2023, looks to ramp up work in new yearURA board approves financing to preserve housing across PittsburghURA is providing $3.6M in loans to preserve affordable housing in PittsburghURA plans to expand Pittsburgh’s home buyer assistance programCity Council and City of Pittsburgh Updates and Meeting HighlightsLand sale sets stage for more Hill housingPittsburgh’s Frick Park a step closer to historic designationPittsburgh’s Zoning Board rejects Irish Centre redevelopment proposalWork to overhaul Pittsburgh’s zoning continues, officials say$10M to go toward affordable housing programs in PittsburghCommunity UpdatesA new website celebrates history of Pittsburgh’s Hill DistrictCharles E. Davis built homes for Pittsburgh’s Black middle class that still endureCommunity Market developer calls zoning rejection for Bloomfield site ‘arbitrary’Half baked? Pact for East End development has mayor hungry for more affordable housingPittsburgh’s URA to help fund Oakland housing development for low-income LGBTQ+ seniors Where have all my neighbors gone? How short-term rentals are shrinking my community. Allegheny County UpdatesFarmland preservation efforts grow as Allegheny County protects unique crops and smaller farmsMcKeesport Community Greening Project will do more than plant more trees in the cityNew software tool aims to help small Allegheny County municipalities fight blightOpen to the public? Commissions in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County all over the board on transparency Should Innamorato tackle Allegheny County property reassessments, the third rail of local politics? Rally: ‘When are we going to use common sense and put human life first?’Pennsylvania UpdatesFetterman Introduces Bill to Ensure Affordable Housing in Forgotten CommunitiesPa. is investing millions to ensure people of all backgrounds, abilities have access to public landsPa.’s new environmental justice policy doesn’t solve the problem, advocates sayPennsylvania program helps residents, businesses convert lawns to meadowsNationwide UpdatesAnswering Big Questions Following Tyler v. Hennepin CountySquatters Ask Chicago: Why So Many Vacancies? Tenant Organizing in Unexpected Places, A WebinarNew Study Shows Land Bank Ownership of Vacant Lots Can Reduce Violent Crime Grounded Updates: Introducing our Interim Executive Director, Darnell MosesAs you may have heard, Grounded’s Executive Director, Ariam Ford, resigned last month to pursue an exciting opportunity in Seattle, Washington. We will greatly miss the experience, knowledge, passion, and warmth she brought to Grounded. We thank Ariam for all of the amazing work she has done over the past five years as ED to further our mission, expand our program areas, and set Grounded up for success moving forward. We know she will do amazing things in her new role, and will be keeping in touch with her network in Pittsburgh. Grounded is currently in the process of hiring a new Executive Director, and in the meantime, we are excited to have Darnell Moses as our Interim ED! Darnell has been a board member of Grounded since 2018 and has a lot of experience with community and economic development from his career at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and his roles at Sustainable Pittsburgh, and as a professor of Equitable and Sustainable Communities at Chatam. Darnell has done an amazing job leading Grounded and jumping right into our programs and development. We are excited to continue to work with him until a new Executive Director is hired.Advocacy NetworkThank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here.Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the environmental and racial injustices currently entrenched in our property management system. The lack of a comprehensive and unified strategy to care for vacant lots disproportionately affects low-income communities of color.We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an anti-racist framework. Help make change happen in local, state, and federal land-use policies, voice your concerns about vacant land in your community, share how you want to see vacant land transformed, and support your neighbors in obtaining land access and ownership.Join Our Advocacy Network!Additional Resources The Resident’s Workbook for Dealing with Vacant Buildings and Lots, from the Center for Community ProgressSchedule a 1 on 1 with our Project Manager of Land Use Policy, Ruby, to talk more about your experience with vacant land and learn about advocacy opportunities through Grounded and our partners.ruby@groundedpgh.orgTell us your land acquisition story! Have you tried to acquire vacant land through one of the 8 vacant land ownership pathways? Do you want to try to acquire land? What is your feedback? Tell us your story! Email us policy@groundedpgh.orgConnect with Grounded