State of the Land Report: October 2024

State of the Land Report: October 2024The 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!Checking in with the Pittsburgh Land BankThe success of the Pittsburgh Land Bank is key in addressing the vacant lot issue. A working land bank can remove barriers and facilitate land transfer to responsible and productive landowners. We caught up with Sally Stadelman,…

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State of the Land Report: August 2024

State of the Land Report: August 2024The 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!How to Mitigate Heirs' Property and Tangled TitleAs Pittsburgh’s population has declined over the past 40 years, many homes have been abandoned, or their owners died without specifying who would take over the deed to the house. We call these properties dead-end properties. Often…

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State of the Land Report: April 2024

State of the Land Report: April 2024The 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 Reassessment in Allegheny CountyIn our last issues, we learned that property taxes are calculated based on the assessed value of a property and that many of the properties in Allegheny County have not been assessed since 2012.…

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State of the Land Report: Quarter 4 Wrap-Up

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…

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State of the Land Report: July 2023

State of the Land Report The 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 Updates  Amendment to the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Law Passes PA State Legislature The amendment to the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Law (MCTLL) was passed by the PA State legislature and signed into law on July 5th, 2023. It grants second class cities (Pittsburgh)…

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RVP Reflection Series: What did Masoud see?

Throughout my experience at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties (RVP) conference in Atlanta this year, I encountered a storm of new, fresh, and different ideas about how to address many of the concerns generated by cycles of disinvestment within 'rust belt' cities. Beyond these techniques though, I think the far more valuable treasure gleaned at this event comes in the form of contacts and relationships with other folks performing similar work in parallel with Grounded across this country. Their insights, challenges,…

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