ACKLIN UNVEILS PLAN TO COMBAT CITY'S ABANDONED PROPERTIES
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 14, 2009
CONTACT: Andy Gastmeyer, Press Secretary
412.327.6951 (cell) | 412.481.3150 (office)
ACKLIN UNVEILS PLAN TO COMBAT CITY’S ABANDONED PROPERTIES
Calls bold four-point plan “A New Deal for Neighborhoods”
PITTSBURGH – In response to calls for help from community leaders and residents, Independent Mayoral Candidate Kevin Acklin unveiled his first major policy initiative in a late morning press conference at his South Side headquarters. Acklin unveiled a bold four-point plan to combat the city’s abandoned properties epidemic, specifically earmarking federal stimulus funds to solve this problem.
“Today, I’m proposing a New Deal for Neighborhoods – a plan that will have a truly lasting impact on our city and on our future. As Mayor, I will put every single stimulus dollar that I’m legally allowed to spend toward solving our long ignored vacant housing problem,” Acklin said.
Noting that abandoned properties diminish public safety, discourage neighborhood investment and development, reduce property values, and diminish quality of life for all Pittsburgh residents, Acklin declared that “real leadership and a systematic plan of action” on this issue will “make our streets safer, our neighborhoods stronger, and our city more economically competitive.”
Acknowledging that abandoned housing is a problem that plagues all major American Cities, Acklin said that his plan would serve as a catalyst, allowing the city to set new investment priorities and making Pittsburgh “the first city in America to make major strides toward solving its abandoned housing problem.”
“We’ll never have a chance like this again: to clean up our neighborhoods, to improve our quality of life, to put properties back on the tax rolls, to encourage new development, and to put people to work. This is an opportunity for every Pittsburgher – not just today, but decades from now – to benefit from these stimulus dollars,” Acklin said.
In addition to earmarking federal stimulus funds for the demolition and refurbishment of abandoned properties, Acklin’s Neighborhood Recovery Plan also calls for reinvestment in the city’s Bureau of Building Inspection, a comprehensive abandoned property inventory, and an Abandoned Property Restoration program that would allow individuals and community groups to acquire and refurbish abandoned properties through a combination of tax credits and low-interest loans.
“Pittsburghers need to know that the city has a plan for dealing with these abandoned properties, that it’s a top priority, and that the Mayor intends to carry it out,” Acklin said.
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