Q: The houses in my neighborhood are old, but taken care of. Why would the city say the neighborhood is blighted just to include it in a redevelopment area?
A: The definition of “blighted area” in redevelopment law isn’t a knock on your property, but a condition common in cities’ older neighborhoods. It can mean, of course, an unsafe and deteriorated building, but it can mean plenty of other things, too.
For instance, a house could contain lead paint or asbestos, which were commonly used in homes through the 1960s. It could have faulty or inadequate utilities, which is a common complaint of residents in east Lodi.
Blight can include a commercial building with inadequate parking, undersized parcels in commercially zoned areas, or a poor mix of adjacent uses, such as homes next to light industrial shops.
Also meeting the blight test, according to redevelopment law, is an area underserved by grocery stores, pharmacies and banks; one with residential overcrowding, such as some apartment-dense blocks; and one that has abnormally low lease rates and vacant storefronts.
Redevelopment is a tool local governments use to reinvest in their communities and raise property values when the traditional free-enterprise model won’t. Redevelopment raises the value of older neighborhoods not only by direct investments in the community, but by providing incentives for the private sector to invest as well.
City Contact:
City Manager’s Office
221 W. Pine Street
P.O. Box 3006
Lodi CA 95241-1910
(209) 333-6700
(209) 333-6807 FAX
e-mail here |
Of the 163 cities in California with populations greater than 50,000, Lodi is one of only eight that do not have active redevelopment agencies. A feasibility study is recommending that the City Council adopt the larger of two proposed survey areas in order to maximize local control of local tax dollars.
