Politics & Government

What Makes a Property Blighted?

In Easton, there are nine different critera.

On Thursday, . But what does that distinction mean?

In Easton, the city says a property is blighted if it meets one of the following nine criteria:

  1. Any premises regarded as a public nuisance under "housing, building, plumbing, fire and related codes."
  2. A property that could be considered an "attractive nuisance" to children (e.g. abandoned wells, shafts, basements).
  3. Any dwelling considered unfit for habitation because it's "dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, vermin infested, or lacking in facilities and equipment required by the housing code."
  4. Any structure which is a fire hazard or is otherwise dangerous.
  5. Any structure without working utilities, heating, plumbing or sewerage.
  6. Any vacant or unimproved lot in an otherwise built-up neighborhood that is filled with trash/debris or a haven for vermin.
  7. Any unoccupied property that has been tax delinquent for two years.
  8. Any property that is vacant and which hasn't been rehabilitated within a year or receiving notice to rehabilitate from the city.
  9. Any abandoned property.

To be clear: City Planner Becky Bradley says Easton typically looks for more than one of these criteria before declaring a property blighted, in order to make it more difficult for the city's ruling to be reversed in court.

Find out what's happening in Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here