A Visit From The AG

l to r: Hilary Lamishaw (TRIP), Troy City Council President Rodney Wiltshire, 
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman,  I-Asia White, Homeowner
Photo by Mike McMahon, The Record

NYS Attorney General Schneiderman visits TRIP and Troy

At a press conference yesterday in TRIP's building at 415 River Street, the attorney general, local elected officials, a homeowner, and TRIP staff spoke about the value of the AG's HOPP (Homeowner Protection Program) which provides funding for TRIP and many other groups to counsel or provide legal assistance to homeowners facing possible foreclosure. A homeowner from Troy, who received assistance through HOPP, shared her story about what a difference it made, particularly since her process had been tied up for years and very complex. 

Attorney General Schneiderman also has proposed some new tools for dealing with vacant properties and "zombie homes" (the owner has abandoned the home and can't be found). He introduced state legislation to expand the number of land banks in the state from 10 to 20 (a land bank is a legal entity that can buy and manage vacant properties) and to require lenders foreclosing on zombie homes to take care of them when they go vacant. 

This is great news for the Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup, which is working diligently to reduce the number of vacant buildings in Troy with a variety of strategies. 

For more information about the press conference, go to
http://www.troyrecord.com/government-and-politics/20140312/schneiderman-proposes-two-pieces-legislation-to-address-the-states-vacant-building-crisis

FOR SALE: 3056 Sixth Ave., Troy

This quaint brownstone, at 1,440 square feet, would make an ideal single-family home. It is situated on a double lot for a generous backyard. As one of the homes chosen for the Troy Vacant Property Workgroup’s “5 to Fix” program, this home is newly cleaned out and will receive additional minor repairs before sale.

For more information, contact the City of Troy at (518)279-7126.

Troy Neighborhoods Action Council Meeting Feb. 13th

All are welcome!!

Wednesday, February 13th, 6 -7:30pm
At The Hill Street Inn, 202 4th St, Troy

"I always look forward to our TNAC meetings. It's great to get together with other community leaders from different areas, from South Troy to the 'Burgh, which we try to do four times a year. The next TNAC meeting is Wednesday, Feburary 13th from 6 - 7:30pm, at The Hill Street Inn on 202 4th Street. Whether it's hearing about another group's projects or getting advice on one of our projects from a group that has 'been there, done that', I always leave feeling inspired and re-energized."
  -Kim Mazor, Hillside North Neighborhood Group

The agenda for the meeting includes:

• Neighborhood associations’ winning strategies 
• (Re)Imagining Troy project 
• What’s the Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup doing? 
• Getting Involved with a “Drug-Free Community” 
• and More 

For more information about TNAC, contact Rocco DeFazio at 271-1111
or email Hilary [at] triponline [dot] org
 

Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup Update

The Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup -- created at a TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council) meeting two years ago -- met on February 8th to share updates of recent activities and agree upon this year’s priorities. One of our goals has been to intervene in a vacant building’s “death march to demolition” through early attention and enhanced marketing. We believe that a modest investment in a building can result in a higher purchase price and increased owner-occupancy than the auction process has. Consequently, the Workgroup recently testified at a CDBG hearing, urging the city to consider implementing our Pilot Stabilization Project.  This involves selecting five recently vacant buildings, buttoning them up, and marketing them in conjunction with the area’s neighborhood group. 

Steps to improve the marketing of vacant properties is already improving. City Council President Lynn Kopka (and member of the VP Workgroup) and the city have taken the initiative to clean out some of the city-owned vacant buildings with help from the sheriff’s work crew. Furthermore, to ensure that prospective purchasers know the condition of the buildings before bidding on them, the city will show buildings upon request from interested buyers.

The Workgroup looks forward to working on other proposed activities such as:

• Researching Land Banks, a new concept in NYS due to recent legislation, to learn about the benefits to Troy. New to the idea of landbanking? Aren’t familiar with the term? Visit http://esd.ny.gov/BusinessPrograms/NYSLBP.html to learn more.
• Analyzing Troy’s vacant property data in order to develop a variety of strategies to address this complicated issue.
• Searching for solutions to theft (especially of copper) from vacant properties.
• Increasing owner compliance with the city’s Vacant Property Registry through more  promotion of it
• Seeking best practices and innovative solutions in effect elsewhere

It will be a busy and productive year for the Workgroup! If you’re interested or concerned about any of the issues facing us, please feel free to join us at our next meeting. It will be held at the TRIP building (415 River St) on March 7th at 6pm. For more information, contact Claire @triponline.org