Township officials want to make sure that about 250 abandoned houses are lived in by families instead of sitting as dilapidated eyesores.
Last week, the Township Council finalized an ordinance that aims to put abandoned properties on an inventory list, and establish a process by which the municipality can either sell the liens on the homes or take ownership so they can be rehabilitated and resold.
Officials intend on “taking an aggressive approach in getting people in our (abandoned) houses,” Township Solicitor George Saponaro said. They are working on a program to get help in executing liens on abandoned properties and partnering with private companies to rehabilitate them so “people looking for houses can get back into them,” Saponaro said.
Under the ordinance, for a home to be designated as abandoned, it must not have been legally occupied for six months and meet one of the following criteria: be declared by an official to be in need of rehabilitation; be unsuitable for occupancy; have delinquent property taxes; or be determined to be a “public nuisance” by an official.