New law will make it easier for Pittsburgh's Land Bank to purchase properties

A new Pennsylvania law is expected to make it easier for Pittsburgh’s Land Bank to purchase blighted properties.

An amendment to the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Law included a few technical and procedural changes to the way Sheriff Sales are conducted in Allegheny County. The changes will allow the region’s land banks to purchase blighted, tax-delinquent properties more efficiently, city officials said.

“It’s trying to move property more expeditiously,” said City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, who sits on Pittsburgh’s Land Bank board.

The new process will allow the land bank to acquire properties through a sheriff’s sale without having to compete against higher bidders who may make larger offers on the properties, Lavelle said

“It allows us to better utilize the sheriff sale,” he said.

Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said the measure is expected to cut costs and help the city’s land bank more easily take possession of properties that could be converted to community-driven reuses, like affordable housing, urban agriculture or protected green space.

The bil passed the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously and was approved in the House of Representatives in a 139-53 vote. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bill into law last week and it will take effect 60 days from his signing.

Gainey’s office said the mayor and other local leaders had been actively advocating for the legislation for years “to remove barriers from the city’s ability to take public control of privately-owned blighted properties and return them to productive use.”

“This will assist the city, as well as land banks throughout Allegheny County, remediate blighted property which positively impacts economic and social outcomes for our residents,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

The Pittsburgh Land Bank received $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money from the city’s allocation. When land bank officials unveiled their spending plan for the cash in January, they estimated the money could be used to clear about 390 properties.