Earlier this month, GOPC’s Executive Director, Alison Goebel, participated on a panel at the national Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference, hosted by the Center for Community Progress.
The panel, ”How State Laws Govern Local Problem Property Regulation—and How to Change Them for the Better” illustrated observations from a recent white paper by Alan Mallach on state policy and problem properties.
Mallach provided an overview of the key ways state policies can help or hinder communities manage problem properties.
Brent Denzin of Denzin Soltanzadeh LLC, discussed his law firm’s work in helping convince policymakers in Illinois’s legislature to authorize the creation of land banks and modifications to improve the policies since their first authorization.
Alison Goebel shared GOPC’s experiences of advocating for policy change and the critical elements to a successful advocacy strategy. Alison’s comments ranged from the importance of coalitions to different ways to best support legislative champions who are carrying pertinent bills.
The 125+ person audience came from around the country and included local government officials, nonprofits, and academics. Several audience members shared strategies for changing state policy that they had found effective.
State policies directly inform local strategies for problem property management; GOPC appreciates that the Center for Community Progress dedicated a panel to this important topic.