Possible ways to receive property and funding

One possible way of receiving access to an abandoned property could be the Pennsylvania Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act, which allows groups or individuals to petition the court to be named conservators of an abandoned and blighted property. To meet the criteria, the property must also be considered a public nuisance, in need of substantial repair, a fire risk, and unfit for occupancy, which is criteria that the SEPTA buildings meet.


Below is a list of first steps that are necessary to consider before filing the petition: 

• Budget for costs—Title Report, Court Filing Fees, Service of Process, Design and Construction Professionals 
• Order a full title report to verify record owner, and ascertain extent of liens and judgments 
• Eliminate any other methods of eliminating the blight, e.g. private acquisition, untangle title problems, condemnation, tax sale, code enforcement 
• Gather evidence on the physical condition of the property 
• Make sure the petitioner is an eligible interested party 
• Consult development experts to draft the preliminary plan 
• Review the First Judicial District’s General Court Regulation and sample pleadings, since the local court rules supersede the statute in some key respects 
• Assemble a legal team (a litigator and a real estate lawyer) 
• Determine the scope of work required and seek financing 
• Weigh the risks—if the costs and fees cannot be recovered, if required rehab is too expensive, if the owner comes back, if title can be cleared to sell the property 

There was one Philadelphia non-profit, the Urban Tree Connection, that used this Act to support the efforts of their group. By successfully petitioning the court, they received more land to legally farm in West Philadelphia.