OVERVIEW

PCRG and its members have been at the forefront of the land banking movement in Pittsburgh.  Following the passage of the statewide legislation in 2012, the City of Pittsburgh, community organizations, community development corporations and land bank advocates worked with the city to bring the land bank to fruition.  In 2014, the City of Pittsburgh successfully passed its own land bank ordinance which provided the legal framework for the official creation of the Pittsburgh Land Bank as a separate legal entity from the city.  

The mission of the Pittsburgh Land Bank is “to return unproductive real property to beneficial reuse through an equitable, transparent, public process, thereby revitalizing neighborhoods in line with community goals and needs,” as well as to “Support socially and economically diverse communities and strengthen the City’s tax base.” 

Legislative changes have gone into effect to ease and quicken the agency’s ability to get vacant land out of limbo and back to active use have only taken effect over the last few months. They include a recent state law that allows the agency to bypass competitive and lengthy bidding processes and a local measure that gives the land bank transfer and acquisition capabilities –– which seemed effective in breaking the agency’s stagnation. And, in 2024, officials finally adopted the most critical elements — taxing agreements — necessary for its proper function.

Now that the Pittsburgh Land Bank has the legal authority, taxing agreements, and acquisition tools necessary to operate effectively, sustained funding is needed to ensure it can fulfill its mission. With federal ARPA dollars exhausted, PCRG and its members are launching an advocacy campaign urging Mayor Corey O'Connor and Pittsburgh City Council to provide dedicated funding for the Pittsburgh Land Bank in the 2027 City budget. Continued investment will allow the Land Bank to build on recent momentum, accelerate the return of vacant and tax-delinquent properties to productive use, support community-driven redevelopment, and create new pathways to affordable homeownership and neighborhood revitalization throughout Pittsburgh.

GET INVOLVED

Read PCRG's full letter to the City of Pittsburgh here. It’s an initial step in a broader advocacy effort to strengthen neighborhood revitalization, support strategic property redevelopment, and expand community-driven land reuse initiatives. Support the push for long-term, sustainable funding for the Pittsburgh Land Bank by adding your organization’s name as a signatory to our advocacy letter.

 
Sign the letter
 

PCRG ADVOCACY & RESOURCES

LAND BANK ROAD MAP

 

  • In 2014, City Council passed legislation creating the Pittsburgh Land Bank to acquire, manage, and repurpose the city's vacant/abandoned/tax-delinquent properties.

  • With the amended agreement passed (2023), the land bank has now established the processes to transfer and receive properties to/from the city and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

  • The land bank must negotiate strong cooperation agreements to be able to complete its ability to operate with the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Allegheny County. PCRG recommends a renegotiation of the existing PWSA agreement to strengthen its cooperation requirements.

  • Currently, the land bank utilizes the Dept. of City Finance to process title clearing. To optimize its property recycling capabilities, the land bank should move this process in-house, as allowed by its creation legislation.

  • The land bank needs updated maps and reports on Pittsburgh's existing vacant properties (both city- and non-city owned). Allowing the land bank to more efficiently identify properties and assess their appropriate land uses.

  • The land bank, with community organizations' input, has already developed the End User Scorecard to ensure the identified land uses are in alignment with the needs of the communities of where the properties are located. This scorecard should be finalized and made public to increase the transparency of the Pittsburgh Land Bank's disposition process.

  • The Pittsburgh Land Bank will now have the necessary agreements to clear title, informed property identification resources, and ample community input for best uses. At this point the land bank can be the resource that the communities of Pittsburgh need it to be.

 

Letters & Public comment

2023

  • Taxing body agreements

    PCRG and member groups’ letter to the Pittsburgh Land Bank Board and City Council urging for the negotiation of taxing body agreements — a critical step that allows the land bank to fulfill its promise and actualize its full property-recycling capabilities.

  • “Tri-Party Agreement” amendments

    PCRG and member groups’ letter to City Council calling on officials to amend the local ordinance and establish land transfer and acquisition process between the city, Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Pittsburgh Land Bank. It resulted in the body passing the amended legislation.

  • Municipal claim and tax lien law amendments

    PCRG’s letter to Pennsylvania state legislators supporting the amendment of the Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law, or MCTLL. The change, which went into effect in early September, now allows the Pittsburgh Land Bank to buy land at sheriff's sale, bypassing the competitive and lengthy treasurer’s sale process, and resulting in a clear title more quickly.

2016

  • LAND BANK POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

    PCRG and member groups’ letter to the Pittsburgh Land Bank Board calling on the agency to create policies and procedures. In 2017 and 2018 City Council passed legislation creating the agency’s bylaws. These changes aimed to enhance transparency, community input, and accountability in PLB operations.

 
 

MEDIA

Unearthing Potential: The Pittsburgh Land Bank’s Journey

A decade since its inception, recent legislation accelerates Pittsburgh Land Bank's impact, but critical challenges remain, impacting the city's blighted properties.

Read more