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.

First Annual Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference Warmly Received

On Saturday, September 22nd, urban planners, local officials, and neighborhood activists from Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Syracuse, Johnson City, Newburgh, and Bennington, as well as a contingent representing the Capital District from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Latham, Amsterdam, and Cropseyville gathered together on Russell Sage campus to share knowledge and ideas about neighborhood revitalization. Topics covered included: green projects, vacant building rehabilitation, community policing, reclaiming public spaces, community art projects, and much more.

Alan Mallach addresses the conference attendees Saturday morning

Earlier that weekend, on Friday night, James Kunstler gave a keynote speech for the conference's kickoff. Alan Mallach delivered another keynote on Saturday morning, which served to successfully lead conference attendees into a thought-provoking and highly educational day.

The discussion started at the conference is on-going as new projects are brought up and more questions are asked. Please visit www.nyneighborhoods.org to take part! If you missed out on the sessions this year, don't worry-- another revitalization conference is already in the works for the fall of 2013!

Arts Grant and CLI Action Grant Awarded

Congratulations to Public School 2 and the Hillside North Neighborhood Association ("The Hill") on the awarding of two grants!  Project applications earned $2,500 and $2,000 respectively!

School 2's "Artists in Schools" Grant will fund a student-based, co-curricular "Paint the Boards" art project in collaboration with TRIP and The Hill.  Sixth grade students and teachers will work with local artist Marcus Kwame Anderson to create large, painted boards that will be installed over the plywood currently covering windows of vacant buildings in the neighborhood.

Combining art and social studies, the pieces will focus on a theme of the Underground Railroad and the rich history it has here in Troy.  Finally, once the project is completed, the sixth graders will lead the younger students on a walking tour of the paintings installed in the neighborhood fostering greater public speaking skills and civic pride.

If you are curious to see Mr. Anderson's work please visit his website: http://www.marcuskwame.com/

Further enlivening the Hillside North Neighborhood, the Community Leadership Institute (CLI) Action Grant that TRIP applied for on behalf of the neighborhood's plan has been awarded!  The plan was created by The Hill's leaders while attending a national CLI conference with TRIP last fall.  These funds, provided by NeighborWorks America, will support the Cleaner and Greener Campaign currently underway.

In an effort to beautify the neighborhood and educate residents about environmental issues, The Hill is working on projects to promote recycling and discourage littering.  Street clean-ups have been happening, and will continue, at least once a month.  Additionally, the group intends to add public trash cans along the sidewalks to increase people's use of them as they walk in order to reduce littering.  Other community projects will include: neighborhood flower plantings, a mural at School 2, and continued educational programs about healthy homes and neighborhoods.

Congratulations again to everyone involved!  We are so excited to work with you on these projects and can't wait to see the beautiful results!

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