[Adopted 6-13-2000 by Ord. No. 907]
A committee to be known as the "Morrisville
Vacant Property Review Committee" (Committee) is hereby created.
The Committee shall be composed of the following
individuals:
Any individual who ceases to be a member of
his or her qualifying category, as designated above, shall cease to
be eligible to continue to serve on the Committee and will be considered
to have resigned, creating a vacancy to be filled by the Borough Council
of the Borough of Morrisville.
Committee members shall select one of them to
serve as Chairman and one to serve as Secretary, to be appointed annually.
Minutes of Committee meetings shall be kept and filed with the Borough
Secretary.
Each Committee member shall serve for a period
of four years except that the initial terms shall be staggered so
that one member each shall be appointed for a one-year, two-year,
three-year and four-year term. The Mayor shall be appointed to serve
a four-term coinciding with his or her term of office. Appointments
shall be made at the regular Council meeting in January of each year.
Should any vacancy occur, the appointment shall be for the remaining
unexpired term.
The Committee will meet from time to time as
appropriate, but shall meet within 30 days of receiving a referral
regarding a blighted property and shall then make a report to Council
within 30 days which shall provide the Committee's recommendation
regarding referral of the property to the RDA to prepare a blighted
property report. The Committee shall then meet within 45 days of receipt
of a report from the RDA.
The following definitions shall apply for purposes
of this article:
Property in at least one of the following categories:
Any premises which because of physical condition
or use is regarded as a public nuisance at common law or has been
declared a public nuisance in accordance with the local housing, building,
plumbing, fire and related codes.
Any premises which because of physical condition,
use or occupancy is considered an attractive nuisance to children,
including but not limited to abandoned wells, shafts, basements, excavations,
and unsafe fences or structures.
Any dwelling which, because it is dilapidated,
unsanitary, unsafe, vermin-infested or lacking in the facilities and
equipment required by the Housing Code of the municipality, has been
designated by the department responsible for enforcement of the code
as unfit for human habitation.
Any structure which is a fire hazard or is otherwise
dangerous to the safety of persons or property.
Any structure from which the utilities, plumbing,
heating, sewerage or other facilities have been disconnected, destroyed,
removed, or rendered ineffective so that the property is unfit for
its intended use.
Any vacant or unimproved lot or parcel of ground
in a predominantly built-up neighborhood, which by reason of neglect
or lack of maintenance has become a place for accumulation of trash
and debris, or a haven for rodents or other vermin.
Any unoccupied property which has been tax delinquent
for a period of two years prior to the effective date of this act,
and those in the future having a two-year tax delinquency.
Any property which is vacant but not tax delinquent,
which has not been rehabilitated within one year of the receipt of
notice to rehabilitate from the appropriate code enforcement agency.
A dwelling or other structure, including any surrounding
parcel or lot, which threatens the health, safety and/or welfare of
the general public, or otherwise interferes with the peace, comfort
or convenience of the Borough's residents.
Any premises which has been abandoned by the owner with the
intent to relinquish all right, title, claim and possession, and which
is not regularly inhabited by a person or persons with a legally recognized
right to occupancy.
The RDA shall prepare a Blighted Property Report
for each property referred to it by the Council or its agent, or the
Vacant Property Review Committee, with each report identifying a property
as blighted confirming any of the following:
A.
The property's physical condition is such that the
property is blighted in accordance with the definition contained in
this article.
B.
The property is vacant, vandalized, lacks maintenance,
and/or lacks functioning utilities.
C.
The property is a fire or health hazard.
D.
The property is a public nuisance.
E.
The property is an attractive nuisance (i.e., as to
children, especially those living in adjacent dwellings or environs).
F.
The property depreciates other property values.
G.
The property is harmful to the social and economic
well-being of the Borough.
H.
The property is tax delinquent.
The Committee is hereby directed to review the
Blighted Property Report(s) as prepared by the RDA and to make a written
recommendation to Borough Council with respect to the elimination
of the conditions of blight and remedying problems that create blighting
conditions in the Borough, which may include but not be limited to
acquisition of the property by the RDA, after determining that it
is in the best interest of the Borough of Morrisville.
The Borough Manager is authorized to take such
steps as may be required to implement the intent of this article.
