Council Will Consider Tougher Blight Ordinance for Phoenixville

The Phoenixville Borough policy committee voted unanimously Tuesday evening to move an ordinance amendment on neighborhood blight on to council.

Using the powers granted to municipalities under Act 90 of 2010, the draft ordinance would give the borough codes more teeth. Act 90, known as the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act, allows the borough to take action against owners in serious violation of borough code or those owners who are creating what’s deemed a public nuisance.

If the owner has multiple properties in the borough and wishes to garner a permit for other properties besides the blighted one, those permits can be denied. If there’s a delinquency in another account—say, an owner owes the borough back money on water bills—the borough could deny any municipal permits until the balance is paid up. Zoning relief is included in the list of things that can be denied to owners of blighted property.

“That’s huge,” Borough Manager Jean Krack told the policy committee regarding the potential for permit denials. “I think that’s going to give us a lot of leverage.”

“This tool allows municipalities to hold property owners accountable for existing delinquencies or serious violations on other properties,” according to an article written on Act 90 by the borough’s planning commission solicitor Kim Venzie. “Property owners must remedy existing violations and/or delinquencies with regard to other property they own in the municipality prior to being granted municipal permits for future projects.”

The policy committee’s 4-0 vote Tuesday simply moves the ordinance amendment on to borough council, which meets next on July 12. Council can then make a decision on whether to move forward with the neighborhood blight amendment.