Submitted by an anonymous site visitor.
According to the OPA, this property is owned by Gertrude Saylus and William Walker. Gertrude Saylus bought it in 1992 and in 1996 transferred it to herself and William Walker. Taxes show unpaid since 2001 and total more than $6,000.
Under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a Federal program to renew urban areas, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority is administering the program in certain Philadelphia neighborhoods.
One of the developers involved in this program is NorthStar Point Breeze LLC, which is developing six new homes for sale to qualified buyers. Unlike other NSP developers, NorthStar bought the lots from private owners. These lots had been sitting vacant for years accruing taxes, liens and generally detracting from the neighborhood.
Take a look at the progress at the NorthStar Point Breeze website.
Not quite sure if this is abandoned, but this once-grand home in Overbrook Farms was submitted by a local who observed the “scaffolding” and otherwise decaying nature of the facade.
By Eugenia C. Garvin
Mayor Nutter recently announced a crackdown on neglected properties, noting the economic and environmental consequences of blight. But new research suggests that such properties can also affect the health of a neighborhood’s residents.
The study published this week focused on more than 4,000 vacant city lots that have been cleaned up and planted with grass and trees under the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Vacant Land Stabilization Program. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found there were fewer gun crimes in neighborhoods where lots had been “cleaned and greened.” Some residents also reported experiencing less stress and exercising more.
The idea that cleaning and greening vacant lots improves health makes sense to me as a physician. Exercise is important for cardiovascular health and weight management. But people may not exercise in neighborhoods where they don’t feel safe. And abandoned, overgrown, trashy lots are magnets for crime.
Besides encouraging exercise, greener surroundings can reduce stress and mental fatigue. Green space may also serve as a common meeting place for neighbors, building social ties that are also important for health.
I recently interviewed some West Philadelphia residents about the impact of vacant property in their neighborhoods. Those living near blighted properties talked about drug-dealing, prostitution, and other illegal activity happening on and around those properties. Many described seeing used needles and condoms in places where children might play. Vacant lots also encourage illegal dumping and attract raccoons, opossums, mice, and other animals.
Beyond the physical health implications, all of this is toxic to residents’ mental health. The people I talked to said the vacant property in their neighborhood made them feel scared, sad, and angry. “It makes you question where you call home,” one said. “It’s a downer.” Feelings like these lead to chronic stress, which can contribute to heart disease and other illnesses.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s greening program was previously shown to increase the value of nearby property. That it also appears to improve residents’ health and safety makes greening an even more attractive means of dealing with vacant land. In fact, other cities are already looking to Philadelphia as a model for addressing such properties.
The Nutter administration, which is also working to revamp the management of city-owned vacant properties, should be applauded for its efforts to aggressively and creatively deal with a problem that has plagued the city for decades. And going forward, health and safety should be part of its rationale. Managing vacant land is not only an economic development priority, but also a strategy for making Philadelphians safer and healthier.
Dr. Eugenia C. Garvin is a physician and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation clinical scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at garvin@upenn.edu.
Cleaner, greener and healthier | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/18/2011.
Do you know of a building or site in the Philadelphia region threatened by development or neglect? Every year, the Preservation Alliance compiles its Endangered Properties List from nominations submitted by concerned citizens like you. Released in December, the list draws attention to these irreplaceable historic resources and can help build public support for preservation solutions. Nominations are accepted through October 14 and can be submitted online here. For more information, contact ben@preservationalliance.com
Read more here:
WANTED: Endangered Properties | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia’s Future.
Just stumbled on this site. We applaud the efforts of the residents of W. Rockland Street and wish them every success. This is a post from earlier this summer.
The following content is taken verbatim from the City of Philadelphia’s website and it provides not-very-clear instructions on how to buy surplus property from the City.
There is a pdf document that has (as of July 27, 2011) 252 pages of properties that are allegedly available to purchase. The actual process to purchase any of these properties, is not clear, but we do know some of the process, for those brave enough to venture into an exercise that can often prove frustrating. Contact us for info.
The properties can be found at the following site: http://www.phila.gov/pdfs/propertyinventory.pdf
Disclaimer
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PLEASE READ THE PHILA.GOV TERMS OF USE AT http://www.phila.gov/tos/index.html AND THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL TERMS OF USE WHICH ARE SPECIFIC TO THE SURPLUS PROPERTY LISTING SITE (THE PHILA.GOV AND SURPLUS PROPERTY LISTING SITE TERMS OF USE ARE COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO HEREIN AS “TERMS OF USE”). IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF USE DO NOT ACCESS THIS SITE. THE TERMS OF USE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY THE CITY AT ITS SOLE DISCRETION AT ANY TIME. USE OF THIS SITE AFTER IMPLEMENTATION OF
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The information provided on this site is compiled from a variety of sources, including sources beyond the control of the City, and is subject to change without notice from the City. The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or remove properties from this site at any time and for any reason or for no reason.
The City of Philadelphia makes every effort to provide the most accurate property information available on this site. Please notify the respective department, Department of Public Property at publicproperty@phila.gov; Redevelopment Authority at http://www.phila.gov/rda/expressionOfInterest.html or the Phildelphia Housing Development Corporation at 215-448-3000 with any inaccuracies in the information provided.
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Technically Philly
OPA Data Liberator: the hackathon project that fills in where city property records leave off
A Primer on HB2188 – Conservatorship for Abandoned Properties
posted by: Cindy Daley
05-04-2010 @ 10:46 am
In small cities, large cities, and rural towns throughout the state, 300,000 buildings stand vacant. Too often properties sit vacant because the tools for dealing with them are not appropriate for the job. The tax sale process is too unpredictable; there is no control over what will happen to the property once it is purchased. Conservatorship allows a community to take control of its future by addressing the problem of abandonment.
This posting is from a neighbor in the Parkside section:
I am with the Viola Street Residents Association a grassroots community group in the East Parkside section of West Philadelphia. We have at least eleven (11) abandoned properties (most of them for years) and 7 vacant lots on our street alone! We are desperately trying to find a solution to slow down the deterioration of these properties and hopefully saving them for future rehabilitation. We DO NOT WANT ANY MORE DEMOLITION! We want and need development that will benefit the current residents. We already had an abundance of “tear downs” due to the condition of the property and demolition under NTI. I can send you the addresses. There is no need for me to point out how this saturation has impacted residents on our street and the health of our community.
4272, 4230, 4268, 4218, Viola Street and more..
Community organizations in North and West Philadelphia came a step closer this week to turning blocks of mostly vacant or abandoned properties into new housing, a health and wellness center and a mixed-use development.
The Philadelphia Planning Commission Tuesday approved an amendment to the Model Cities Urban Renewal Plan, authorizing the redevelopment authority to acquire 54 properties on the block bounded by 21st and 22nd streets, Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Nicholas Street in North Philadelphia. Project H.O.M.E plans to build a health and wellness center in cooperation with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The commission also approved the acquisition of 2804 West Oakdale Street, which will become part of a Philadelphia Housing Authority residential development project.
A SOSNA meeting tonight addresses the Conservatorship Act
Abandoned Philadelphia 