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Mayor proposes vacant-property registry to address blight and free up housing
Summary
Mayor Lintille outlined a vacant-property registration ordinance that would require owners to register and pay annual fees for long-term vacancies, citing models in Pennsylvania and a progressive-fee example from Wheeling, W.Va., as tools to identify underused buildings and encourage reuse.
Mayor Lintille presented a proposal on June 22 to establish a vacant-property registration ordinance for Gettysburg, framing the registry as a tool to identify underused buildings, reduce blight and encourage adaptive reuse.
The mayor described registry features used elsewhere: mandatory registration after a defined vacancy period (examples ranged from 45 days to three months depending on locality), annual fees to cover administration, exemptions for actively marketed or newly constructed properties, and public or internal databases. "The registry would be a resource so we know which buildings are being underutilized and how we might incentivize their more efficient use," Mayor Lintille said.
Council heard examples from other Pennsylvania municipalities and a progressive-fee model referenced from Wheeling, West Virginia, where fees escalate for chronically vacant buildings. The mayor said typical fee ranges seen in research are roughly $50 to $500 per property annually, with some municipalities using higher or escalating fees to encourage remediation. Staff suggested identification methods including utility shutoffs, tax delinquency, foreclosure filings and USPS delivery records.
The mayor also proposed linking a registry to complementary tools such as adaptive-reuse incentives or a land bank and noted nonadministrative options: inspection fees, liens for nonpayment and delegating oversight to planning or redevelopment authorities. Staff emphasized the need for solicitor review on legal constraints such as state uniformity clauses and enforcement mechanisms.
Why it matters: A vacancy registry can provide a searchable inventory for code enforcement, police and fire and create a predictable process for engaging absentee owners. Council asked staff to plan a future workshop to consider ordinance language and implementation details.
What’s next: Council agreed to plan a future workshop to explore the proposal and have staff produce a more detailed draft ordinance and implementation options for later review.
