Reading City Council approved measures that will require any declarations of blight to be filed with the Berks County recorder of deeds.
Officials said the move will improve transparency, speed up the redevelopment of blighted properties and strengthen the city’s legal position in cases of eminent domain.
Council unanimously adopted the changes Monday after several weeks of discussion.
The moves amend both the city’s Construction Codes and Blighted Property Review Committee ordinances. They mandate that when a property is certified as blighted or declared a nuisance that the status must be formally recorded with the county to ensure public notice.
“These changes are intended to remove ambiguity for future buyers and strengthen the city’s legal stance,” council Solicitor Michael Gombar said.
Gombar described the amendments as a best practice that protects the city from potential disputes with future purchasers who might claim they were unaware of a property’s blighted status.
The filing of a declaration with the recorder of deeds is considered public notice, he said, noting the new process provides clear, legal notice to all parties.
“The law says that if it’s recorded, that’s sufficient public notice to everyone that this property is a nuisance or blighted or whatever,” Gombar said. “So it’s just an extra step in the process, but it’s a best practice so that there’s no additional chance that somebody could argue that they had no idea or didn’t know about it.”
City officials said the measure will help streamline the process of acquiring blighted properties for redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization. Once a blight certification is officially recorded, it removes uncertainty in court proceedings and supports actions such as eminent domain.
Finance and Deputy Managing Director Jamar Kelly said the change will make it easier for the Reading Redevelopment Authority to act on certified blighted properties.
“Registering the certified blight with the recorder of deeds’ office removes any question about notifications, and I believe, will help the redevelopment authority more quickly certify blighted properties so that they can then be targeted for redevelopment with a broad range of grant funds that are available to us,” Kelly said.
Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said the reform helps strengthen the city’s ability to transform problem properties.
“It certainly strengthens the city’s ability to redevelop or acquire blighted property,” he said, “and it makes it public and traceable.”
Council President Donna Reed noted the recording requirement will protect the city and unsuspecting buyers of blighted properties sold at sheriff’s sales.
“If the property’s transferred, this is recorded on the deed and this will come up in settlement, so there’s nobody that can then say, ‘I didn’t know,’” Reed said. “It’s part of the legal process, which is thankfully at long last here, because we have people at sheriff sales who blindly bought properties.”
The new rules do not change the city’s existing procedures for notifying property owners.
Direct notices of violation, blight certification and hearing opportunities will continue as before, Gombar said. The filing with the recorder of deeds simply adds another layer of public record to the process, he noted.
Council members acknowledged that while residents often express frustration with the slow pace of blight removal, state law requires due process and multiple opportunities for property owners to correct violations before a property can be certified as blighted.
Officials said the Blighted Property Review Committee has recently increased the number of properties certified as blighted as part of a broader campaign to combat neighborhood deterioration.
The city’s administration also supports the redevelopment authority’s use of eminent domain and sought funding through Community Development Block Grants for demolition and rehabilitation.
Officials said the new recording requirement will make those efforts more effective by ensuring all actions are fully transparent and legally sound.