Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency Board

The Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency passed its 2022 budget as well as other annual contracts at its annual meeting Wednesday.

Wage increases were the main driver of increased costs in the $1,139,600 budget passed by the board.

JURA has a number of employees who are part of the Jamestown City Administration Association union which will receive wage increases over the next five years as part of a recently approved contract.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk presented the JURA board with a packet of ongoing projects and accomplishments from 2021.

Under housing, the number of zombie properties in the city continued to drop from previous years. In 2021, there were 30 zombie properties in Jamestown compared with 33 in 2020, 47 in 2019, and 54 in 2018.

Surdyk said there were 1,428 code enforcement and zoning inspections done in 2021 and 285 permits issued. Total fees generated by the department were in the amount of $16,121.

In 2021, $1.189 million in Community Development Block Grant monies assisted 28 projects with $105,742 of HOME funds assisting 14 properties.

The City also did five emergency demolitions in 2021, including the former Jamestown Royal Upholstery which was destroyed in a fire in June. Eleven other properties were demolished or are in the process of demolition being completed.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the city has filed the first round of lawsuits known as “19-A” suits, “These are abandoned properties. We’ve also started filing New York State Zombie Property law actions to bring back homes that have just been left abandoned by banks. These are all tools in our tool kit to deal with blighted housing.”

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said “19-A” is part of New York State real property law, “Which is a tool for municipalities to obtain title to an abandoned property. And either clean up the property, sell the property, work with other local housing agencies in partnership to improve, and again sell or demolish the property as a last resort.”

Sundquist said many of the vacant and zombie houses are in adequate condition, “And the City intends to sell the houses.We think can bring and attract aspiring homeowners. The acquisition of homes fit into a longer term strategy of building home ownership among local residents, growing our community wealth, and investing in our homes and neighborhoods.”

Associate Corporation Counsel Ben Haskin says there are currently 45 zombie properties with an estimated 175 to 200 abandoned and vacant properties in Jamestown.

Surdyk says the HOME funding will likely be used toward obtaining the properties and some of the redevelopment costs.

The Jamestown City Council during its Feb. 25, 2019 voting session.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council this week approved a resolution for the city to apply for up to $200,000 in state money to help address zombie properties.

The funding would come from the state Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative program. City development director Vince DeJoy said the money would be used to continue to address properties in the city deemed as zombie properties – those that have been abandoned due to foreclosure and as a result failing into a state of disrepair.

“What we are going to be doing is extending our legal capacity to hire an attorney who will work on a contract basis, exclusively for the department of development to do research on zombie properties, to prosecute cases of zombie properties when lenders haven’t lived up to their legal obligations to maintain houses, and also to provide legal information for those that are in the foreclosure process,” DeJoy said.

If approved, it would be the second time the city received money to address zombie properties. It also received $150,000 in 2016 as part of a two-year funding program.

DeJoy adds the city has until March 8 to apply for the grant and his office is currently compiling data to make a case for getting as much funding as possible from the program.

To report a zombie property, visit the zombie property report page at the city website or call the department of development office at 483-7542.

City development director Vince DeJoy (right) shares details of the the Zombie and Vacant Properties Remediation and Prevention Initiative with the members of the city council during its Feb. 11 work session.

JAMESTOWN – City development director Vince DeJoy is asking for the public’s help in identifying abandoned – or zombie – properties in the city.

Zombie properties are homes that have been abandoned by an owner due to foreclosure problems, but the ownership has yet to be regained by the lending agency or bank the owner is indebted to.

During a report to both the city housing committee and later to the full city council on Monday night, DeJoy said his office is applying for a $200,000 state grant that would focus on addressing abandoned and zombie homes in the city. The funding comes from the state Zombie and Vacant Properties Remediation and Prevention Initiative program, which gave the city $150,000 in 2016.

DeJoy said the deadline for the grant application is March 8 and in order to have accurate information on the number of zombie properties in the city, he’s asking residents to come forward and report any possible zombie properties in the coming weeks.

That information will then be checked by his staff to verify whether or not the homes are in fact abandoned and if they are, the information will be added to the grant application. He said the state is also supposed to have a database of all foreclosed properties in every community, but sometimes a zombie property – which is still in the foreclosure process – won’t appear on the list and as a result, it doesn’t get the attention it needs.

“There’s a database that the state has that’s supported to be reported by lenders when a house is in foreclosure,” DeJoy explained. “Generally What we do is once a house appears on that list we automatically send it out for code inspection. And if there are health and safety-type violations that we can see from the exterior, then we will cite that house and make the lender accountable.”

To report a zombie property, visit the zombie property report page at the city website or call the department of development office at 483-7542.

DeJoy said the city qualifies for grant funding from the state to help address zombie properties in the city. Zombie properties are properties that have been abandoned by their owners but have not yet finished the foreclosure process – meaning they are hanging in limbo and as a result are not getting appropriate care, leading them to fall into an ever-deteriorating state of disrepair.

To help maximize the amount of money the city could receive, DeJoy said his office will roll out an initiative in the coming weeks urging community members to help identify as many zombie properties as possible so his office can have a thorough and accurate list.

“We’ll be asking the public to help us identify ways to report vacant houses, even if it’s not a foreclosure but it’s just be vacant – we don’t see any activity there. That should count. We should be able to provide in this grant application a rough estimate of just how many of these so-called zombie properties there are in Jamestown,” DeJoy explained.

More details of the initiative will be provided during next week’s housing committee meeting, which will take place Monday night, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. on the 4th floor of city hall.

Meanwhile, DeJoy said the city will also be utilizing a new house painting program from the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation to help make improvements to three homes in a target area of Linwood Ave. And he said his office will also be initiating a bidding process to demolish a blighted home on Allen Street.

A new effort is underway in the city of Jamestown to identify all the zombie properties in the city and work toward addressing as many as possible before they fall into total disrepair. Jamestown Development Director Vince DeJoy and local attorney Todd Thomas recently invited WRFA to a vacant house in the city to provide more details.

Local Attorney Todd Thomas (left) and City Development Director Vince DeJoy.

Local Attorney Todd Thomas (left) and City Development Director Vince DeJoy.

JAMESTOWN – A new effort is underway in the city of Jamestown to identify all the zombie properties in the city and work toward addressing as many as possible before they fall into total disrepair.

A zombie property is a property that is left vacant by a property owner – often times after being notified of a pending foreclosure.  The property owner may not be aware that a foreclosure notification doesn’t mean they have to leave the property immediately, and that there are resources available to help them deal with foreclosure or even prevent it from being finalized.

To that end, Jamestown Development Director Vince DeJoy said the city is using a $150,000 state grand and has hired local attorney Todd Thomas to work on a part time basis to try and identify zombie properties in the city and work toward finding a solution.

“We hired extra capacity in the corporation counsel’s office to look into these zombie properties and do a number of things, including provide legal information to people that are in foreclosure. They can call our office directly and speak with an attorney, who can’t provide legal advice because of a possible conflict of interest, but can provide legal information on potential programs and resources,” DeJoy said, adding, “Basically to let them know that it’s a poor choice to just leave the keys to the bank and take off, because they are still legally responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these zombie properties.”

DeJoy adds that currently officials don’t know the exact number of zombie properties in the city, but they hope to have an accurate number through Thomas’ work, which also includes working with a recently created state database to identify individuals who are in foreclosure process and determine whether or not they’ve abandoned the property before the foreclosure has been finalized.

If a member of the public suspects a property to be a zombie house or believes there is a housing code violation, they can call the city Department of Development at 483-7542 or they can call Thomas at 484-4103. Residents can also visit the city’s website – JamestownNY.net — to report properties vacant homes or properties that have a code violation.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the Department of Financial Services has published a Consumer Bill of Rights for New Yorkers facing foreclosure. Additionally, DFS has also finalized a regulation protecting communities from the blight of “zombie properties” by requiring banks and mortgage servicers to report and maintain vacant and abandoned properties.

Both actions follow legislation the Governor signed in June that curbs the threat “zombie properties” pose to communities by expediting foreclosure proceedings, improving the efficiency and integrity of the mandatory settlement conferences, and obligating banks and mortgage servicers to secure, protect and maintain vacant and abandoned properties before and during foreclosure proceedings.

“These reforms help ensure New Yorkers at risk of foreclosure know their rights, that banks and mortgage servicers are held to their obligations, and that neighborhoods across the state are protected from the blight of zombie properties, which threaten property values, as well as public safety,” Governor Cuomo said. “These steps will help protect the quality of life in our communities and preserve the American Dream in New York.”

DFS is required to publish a Consumer Bill of Rights no later than 60 days after the new law takes effect. The new law also requires the court overseeing a foreclosure proceeding to provide homeowners a copy of the Consumer Bill of Rights at the initial mandatory settlement conference.

Under the law, bank and mortgage servicers must complete an inspection of a property subject to delinquency within 90 days and must secure and maintain the property where the bank or servicer has a reasonable basis to believe that the property is vacant and abandoned. Banks and mortgage servicers are required to report all such vacant and abandoned properties to DFS and submit quarterly reports detailing their efforts to secure and maintain the properties and the status of any foreclosure proceedings. If DFS determines that a property that has been deemed vacant and abandoned is not being properly maintained by the relevant bank or mortgage servicer, the Superintendent will exercise her authority to hold the bank or mortgage servicer accountable. Violations are subject to a civil penalty of $500 per day per property.

The regulation is part of several provisions that will help address the scope of unoccupied and ill-maintained properties, which based on voluntary reporting is estimated to be over 6,000. Under the new law, reporting by banks and mortgage servicers is now mandatory, and the number of abandoned homes is anticipated to be even higher. The law also requires the creation of a zombie properties hotline to allow New Yorkers to report vacant or abandoned properties. New Yorkers can contact the Department of Financial Services hotline at (800) 342-3736 or online at www.dfs.ny.gov to report vacant or abandoned properties.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY – New Yorkers who are concerned with vacant or abandoned houses in their neighborhood can now report them to a state agency.

On Tuesday Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of a Zombie Property hotline at the New York State Department of Financial Services.

The hotline is part of legislation signed by Governor Cuomo last week to prevent foreclosures and curb the threat posed to communities by “zombie properties” across the state.

According to the governor, the state DFS will maintain an electronic registry of vacant and abandoned properties and DFS will use the information to identify the mortgage servicer to facilitate appropriate remedial actions as outlined in the legislation.

New Yorkers can contact the Department of Financial Services (DFS) at (800) 342-3736 or online at www.dfs.ny.gov.

The “zombie properties” legislation also includes measures to assist homeowners facing mortgage foreclosure, improve the efficiency and integrity of the mandatory settlement conferences, and establishes a pre-foreclosure duty to maintain on mortgagees, create an expedited foreclosure process for vacant and abandoned properties, create an electronic vacant property registry, and establish a Consumer Bill of Rights.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY — New York is getting help from 11 major financial institutions in its fight against zombie properties.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the group of banks, credit unions and mortgage companies will take action to maintain properties that have been foreclosed upon. According to the governor’s office, those practices include regularly inspecting and maintaining properties that fall into delinquency and reporting vacant and abandoned properties to the state Department of Financial Services, which will maintain a registry of such properties. The practices are set to be adopted by August.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is continuing to push his Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act through the Legislature. That legislation essentially would make the provisions within the new agreements state law.

Local officials with the city have come out in support of Schneiderman’s proposal, saying it would help to address numerous properties in the area that are falling into disrepair due to a drawn out foreclosure process.

However, both senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Andy Goodell oppose Schneiderman’s plan – saying it would eventually drive up mortgage interest rates, due to the banks having to spend more money to deal with the zombie properties.