A survey of 13,828 properties in Chester shows that 92 percent of the city’s parcels are blight-free.
The findings come from a city-wide parcel condition survey conducted by the city of Chester in collaboration with Cyclomedia.
The survey and its data is a key step toward revitalizing Chester’s neighborhoods as it attracts investments and enhances community safety.
“This study represents a significant step forward in our ongoing mission to address blight and invest in the revitalization of our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Stefan Roots. “The goal is to continue to create a welcoming and safe place for residents and newcomers to live, work and play.”
The study identifies targeted areas that urgently need attention, which will help with strategic redevelopment planning.
It ranked each property on a blight severity scale from zero to five with zero being no blight and five being considered an unsafe structure.
The report found that 12,787 or 92.47 percent of properties were ranked as a zero or no blight and presently 27 properties,.20 percent, ranked as a five or considered an imminent public safety threat.
The first-time study was conducted by Cyclomedia, a leading provider of large-scale systematic visuals of physical environments. The company captured the data by scanning city properties using a specially designed car with LiDAR camera technology.
With this data the city will be able to clean up the blighted areas and buildings, raising real estate values and eventual higher tax revenue.
The data can also be used for community development planning, street maintenance, verifying zoning plans, code enforcement and tactical planning for handling emergency calls related to police and other public events.
It will show key areas ripe for development, identifying where there are swaths of vacant parcels to be redeveloped.
Next comes a market value analysis by Chester’s Receiver team to analyze the city’s housing market.
Information from that analysis will be used to objectively inform future municipal budget decisions on how to prioritize resources and services to spur reinvestment into strategic development areas throughout Chester.
This baseline of data will be collected by The Reinvestment Fund, and is critical for the proper disposition of blighted properties and the ongoing revitalization of Chester.
You can find out more about the city’s financial recovery plan by visiting the Receiver for the City of Chester’s website.
