ALLENTOWN – Borough Council members have introduced 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 introduced in a 5-0 vote on April 9. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held during the April 30 council meeting.
Allentown officials have been working for more than a year to address issues relating to abandoned and vacant properties in the borough.
Council members 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 proposed ordinance, 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.
During the April 9 council meeting, Borough Attorney Greg Cannon said an abandoned property at 26 Waker St. and an abandoned property at 41 Church St. have recently been sold and would be coming off the abandoned property list. He said both properties are expected to be rehabilitated.
