ALLENTOWN – Borough Council members have adopted an ordinance revising and re-establishing an abandoned property list and designating code enforcement officer Ron Gafgen to handle matters relating to that list.
The ordinance was adopted on April 30 in a vote from council President Thomas Fritts, Councilwoman Angela Anthony, Councilman John A. Elder III, Councilman Robert Strovinsky and Councilman Michael Drennan. Councilman Rob Schmitt was absent.
Allentown officials have been working for two years to address issues relating to abandoned and vacant properties in the borough.
Council members previously adopted an ordinance giving the borough the ability to place certain properties on the abandoned property list and to take action with the goal of rehabilitating those homes and properties.
According to the ordinance that was adopted on April 30, Allentown’s code enforcement official will be designated as the public officer who will carry out the responsibilities and powers relating to abandoned properties under the law.
The code enforcement official may exercise the authority granted to Allentown through state law to designate a qualified rehabilitation entity to act as a designee of the borough.
According to the ordinance, the borough attorney and/or the code enforcement official will provide a report to the council every six months “with respect to the number and location of properties on the abandoned property list, the status of those properties, and any actions taken by the borough or by any qualified rehabilitation entity designated with respect to any property on the list or any other abandoned property” in Allentown.
In related action that evening, council members voted 5-0 to pass a resolution authorizing the advertising and distribution of a request for proposals for qualitative rehabilitation entities.
Mayor Greg Westfall described those entities as “investors who will be engaged to upgrade the abandoned properties.”
During the meeting, Borough Attorney Greg Cannon said that when the initiative began two years ago, there were 11 properties on the abandoned property list.
Cannon said six of the 11 properties have been resolved, leaving five parcels to be addressed. He said that for several reasons, the two most difficult properties to deal with are at 23 Hamilton St. and 37 Church St.
“We have received some calls from contractors who want to take a shot” at rehabilitating Allentown’s abandoned properties, Cannon said.