Published May 13, 2015
By Rich Cuccagna

TRENTON — New Jersey municipal officials and community developers participated in a full day workshop on reclaiming vacant and abandoned properties. The workshop aimed to assist participants in developing a problem property strategy to revitalize their communities which have been plagued by the foreclosure crisis and the economic downturn.

"The goal today is to show that there's opportunity when putting the right tools into place," said Barbara George Johnson, executive director, The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy of Thomas Edison State College. "We're bring municipal leaders together with nonprofit community developers who want to see their communities thrive despite having limited resources. Using the tools that we're sharing with them today will really have an impact on how we move our communities forward."

To assist municipal officials with developing their own vacant property strategies, experts shared tools and best practices for reclaiming vacant properties along with municipal case studies. Participants also learned how to utilize tools available at their disposal through the Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act, and other legal avenues, to address these problem properties, including strategic code enforcement, vacant property registry and inspection programs, and taking title to abandoned properties.

"The vacant property ordinance has really been working in the City of Trenton," said Walter Denson, director, division of real estate, City of Trenton. "When code enforcement issues summonses and penalties for violations, it brings people to the table to take responsibility for their properties on top of generating revenue for the city."

"Reclaiming the problem properties that hold our communities back can help restore economic vitality, increase wealth and bring revenue to our communities," said Staci Berger, president and chief executive officer of the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ. "Municipal officials have tools available that empower them to take control of these properties and return them to productive use."

The workshop was hosted at the Trenton War Memorial by Thomas Edison State College John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy in partnership with the Urban Mayors Association, the Borough of Roselle, the Center for Community Progress, New Jersey Community Capital, and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.

Rich Cuccagna may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RichCuccagna. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.