POUGHKEEPSIE – Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress brought community leaders to Poughkeepsie on Friday to hear experts discuss ways to reduce blight in their communities.
“From Blight to Bright” was held in a city that has been making tremendous progress in combating blight, including the creation of an “Anti-Blight Task Force” according to Mayor Rob Rolison.
Pattern for Progress brought speakers in that covered topics including revitalizing communities through code enforcement, land banks, and land trusts.
The presentation featured a keynote address given by Lynne Patton, regional administrator for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Region II. Patton noted that HUD’s physical inspection process needs a major overhaul in order to close loopholes that landlords have taken advantage of, which has led to “slumlords” being able to avoid improving properties in their possession.
Patton said that HUD Secretary Dr. Benjamin Carson is prioritizing failing properties that need to be repaired. The theory is that it will help to improve the safety of the tenants while also keeping up with the curb appeal of the properties.
Rolison said that when he took office in 2016, Poughkeepsie had over 650 parcels that were considered to be blighted. “Vacant and abandoned properties are down to approximately 450 units,” said he said. The mayor attributed the noticeable decrease to several things, including a robust code enforcement program and a strong housing market in the city. “We have been very aggressive in going after property owners for violations,” said Rolison. According to the mayor, the enforcement has improved the condition of the properties and also provided some funding for youth programming in Poughkeepsie.
“In 2019, $100,000 collected from violations was diverted to programs for the youth population. Rolison also praised State Attorney General Letitia James who provided Poughkeepsie with $400,000 for its anti-blight campaign.
Evan Menist, research planner for Pattern for Progress, lives in Poughkeepsie and is running for the common council. Menist claims that “Code enforcement is the paramount issue in addressing blight in an urban setting.” He said that there is a demand to strengthen code enforcement but pointed out that it’s not just for generating revenue. “Code enforcement is about ensuring compliance, which leads to improved safety for occupants.”
As a candidate, Menist said that the city is making strides in its anti-blight campaign but it needs to continue to be a priority. Menist’s co-worker, Pattern for Progress Senior Vice-president Joe Czajka added that “There is no one magic bullet to combat blight. It’s a combination of code enforcement, land banks, and land trusts,” used together as a multi-prong approach to the subject.
Sarah Salem, who currently serves on Poughkeepsie’s common council representing the second ward, attended the one-day conference and called it a “Dynamic program,” saying “Every speaker presented real, action-orientated solutions and tools that communities can take advantage of immediately to mitigate blight and create a sustainable path toward affordable home ownership and in building community wealth.”
