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Solicitor reports successful quiet-title orders and subdivision work as land bank advances conveyances
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Summary
The Erie Land Bank’s solicitor reported multiple successful quiet-title hearings and progress on a subdivision of an AJ Adams parcel, saying judges across Erie are issuing clear-title orders and the land bank is reaching heirs to secure deeds in lieu of condemnation.
The Erie Land Bank’s solicitor told the board on Aug. 18 that the land bank has obtained several quiet-title orders in recent hearings and is making steady progress clearing titles for properties in the land bank’s inventory.
The solicitor said judges including Judge Sala and Judge Piccinini recently issued orders providing the land bank with clear title on multiple parcels. One detailed example involved a property on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the court resolved title complications so the parcel can be rehabilitated with assurance that the title will be free and clear following the tax sale.
The solicitor said staff are also reaching out to prior owners and heirs in many cases and sometimes are able to obtain a deed in lieu of condemnation when family members prefer to relinquish claims rather than contest title. That outreach has reduced the number of contested quiet-title proceedings the land bank must take to court.
On subdivisions, the solicitor and staff reported the survey is complete for a parcel the board has referred to as the AJ Adams property on Ninth Street. Staff plan to present subdivision plans in September after coordinating with city planning and county planning; neighbors have been notified and staff said they are mindful of statutory time constraints once the subdivision process begins.
The solicitor’s update also addressed a developer-agreement clause that had created friction with a local lender. For the Steve Lewis Contracting project at 1737 West Sixth Street, the solicitor said the deed-in-escrow and enforcement-mortgage language is not necessary because the lender (Marquette Savings Bank) is expected to complete construction if a contractor cannot. The board later approved a resolution removing that clause for the project.
Board members praised the solicitor’s preemptive outreach to heirs and prior owners, saying it has minimized contested litigation and smoothed transfers. The solicitor said more quiet-title hearings are scheduled and that judges across the county are now familiar with the land bank’s process.
