This document summarizes Jonathan Lax's presentation on mapping abandoned and vacated properties in Providence, RI. It identifies over 1,200 abandoned properties with an estimated assessed value of $128 million. Most are multi-family homes in low-income minority neighborhoods impacted by the housing crisis. The presentation concludes that receivership laws favor private investors over affordable housing and the city must engage communities to reintegrate reclaimed homes. It proposes expanding the mapping project statewide and exploring alternative funding sources like public pension funds for community development.

1. Reclaim PVD: Mapping Abandoned &
Vacated Properties in Providence, RI
By Jonathan Lax, RWU Graduate, Community Development program
Presentation for Rhode Island Housing
June 25, 2015

2. In the Beginning: PVD HOLC Map 1935
source: LaDale Winling www.orbanoasis.org

3. Sources of Data:
 The Four Lists of Abandoned & Vacated
Property:
 2012 Waste Collection Survey by DPW & DIS – 687
Identified properties
 City-owned Vacated Tax Sales - 380
 PRA-owned Vacated properties - 72
 Abandoned property survey by Elmwood
Neighborhood Association- 70
 Information compiled include location, property
types, housing units, tax assessed value & tax bill,
owners’ names, address & ownership type

4. From the late 1990s to 2008, widespread subprime lending and low
interest rates fueled an immense housing bubble across the United
States. In the West End, 2-5 Family homes rose 409% from 1997 –
2005.

5. PVD 2-5 Family Homes In the Housing Bubble

6. PVD Abandoned / Vacated Properties & Subprime Lending

7. Compare: Subprime Lending vs Foreclosure Rate

8. Key Findings of Abandoned & Vacated Properties:
 Estimated number of Identified Abandoned & Vacated
Properties: 1213
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual number is between
1123 to 1336
 Estimated total tax assessed value: over $128 million
(excluding $32 million PRA owned municipal building)
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual amount is between
$118 million to $141 million
 Estimated total tax due to the City of Providence: over $3.6
million
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual amount is between
$3.34 million to $3.97 million
 The most common class of abandoned property: 2 – 5 Family
homes with an estimated number of 405 housing properties

9. Most Abandoned PVD Homes are Multi-family dwellings in
mostly low income minority-majority neighborhoods

10. Key Findings of Abandoned Housing:
 Estimated total of Abandoned Conventional Housing Properties: 711
 Estimated total Abandoned Conventional Housing Units: 1487
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual number is between 1376 and 1637
 Estimated total tax assessed value of Abandoned Housing : nearly $93.7
million
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual amount is between $86.7 million
to over $103 million
 Estimate total tax bill due to the City of Providence for Abandoned
Housing: over $2.73 million
 At the 90% confidence level, the actual amount is between $2.5 million to
over $3 million
 Mean Housing Units: 2
 Mean Tax Value: $131,749.59
 Mean Tax Bill: $3,844.23

11. Latest Developments:
Types of Owners of
Abandoned / Vacated
Housing: Preliminary
counts:
Top Ownership Categories:
Non Owner Occupied Residential:
331
Corporate LLC: 157
Owner Occupied Residential: 122
REO Lender Owned: 69
Residential Exempt: 12
Tax Reverted Asset: 10
Total Top 6: 689 properties
Absentee / Owner Occupied
Ratio:
4 / 5

12. Reclaim PVD: Preliminary Conclusions
 A review of the data shows that most abandoned and
vacated property in Providence is residential in character,
with an estimated number of identified housing properties
at 711 and residential vacated lots at 370.
 That total of 1081 is over 89% of the total identified
abandoned and vacated properties.
 Multi-unit dwellings make up over 63% of the identified
abandoned housing properties.
 The main factors driving abandonment appear to be
elevated subprime lending coupled with aggressive
foreclosure, skyrocketing appreciation and absentee
ownership in low income majority minority areas.
 Over 64% of the identified abandoned properties are
clustered in just 8 of the 25 Providence neighborhoods.

13. Reclaim PVD West End
Profile
Total Property Count: 136
Housing Units: 239
Average Housing Unit: 2
Total Assessed Tax Value:
$13,492,300
Total Tax Bill: $439,739.88
Residential Types:
2 – 5 Family Homes: 49
Single Family: 10
Mixed Use Combination: 2
Apartments: 3
Residential Vacated Lots: 43

14. City Of Providence
Efforts to Reclaim
Abandoned Property:
Under Rhode Island law, municipalities are
empowered to take owners of abandoned
property to court for maintaining a public
nuisance. If the owner of such properties fail
to abate the public nuisance, then the court
can appoint a receiver to take possession of
the property to rehabilitate it back into the
community.
Taking advantage of this statute, Mayor
Taveras launched the Providence Receivership
program in August 2014, in which abandoned
properties and their owners and interested
parties are taken to court with the goal of
either abating the public nuisance or having
the property placed under receivership for
redevelopment.
The conditions of abandonment and public
nuisance are defined by statute, as is the
process of determining those conditions and
the standards the court requires of those who
would be appointed as receivers.

15. Policy Challenges for
Receivership Program
 There is a policy gap between how the
City is acquiring the abandoned homes
and their policy goals. The
Receivership Law is biased towards
private investors and not for affordable
homeownership.
 The city is in competition with private
real estate operators to acquire the
better housing units. Since the real
estate market is recovering, time is
running out to get those homes on
favorable terms.
 It may be challenging to make the
rehab numbers work out on many of
these multi-unit homes
 The City needs to continue to engage
neighborhood groups.

16. Reclaim_PVD_Abandoned_Property_
Community_Asset_Map2
http://bit.ly/1BwiGeW

17. Acknowledgements:
 City of Providence
 Brian Hull, Director of Community
Development
 Elyse’ Pare, Deputy Tax Assessor
 Sean Creegan, Assistant City
Solicitor
 Jim Silveria, Chief Information
Officer
 Providence Plan
 Ryan Kelly, Urban Information
Specialist
 Brown University
 Bruce Boucek, Social Science Data
Librarian
 Roger Williams University
 Jamie Scurry, Dean of School of
Continuing Studies
 Professor Jorge Elorza, School of
Law
 Professor Mark Brickley, Gabelli
School of Business
 Professor Eric Jacobs, Director of
Community Development Program
 Elizabeth Debs, Instructor
 State of Rhode Island
 Raymond Neirinckx, Housing
Resource Coordinator, RI Housing
Commission

18. RI Housing Scope of Work:
 Research work will transition from a housing only to
place focused, asset-based sustainable community
development utilizing ArcGIS mapping
 Fully support existing policy research under direction
of staff as detailed in the RIH Consolidated Plan 2015-
2019
 Reclaim PVD Reclaim RI: expand abandoned
housing work to RI Urban Core
 Extend work of Housing Network of RI Developer’s
Report 2006 - 2012
 Explore alternative funding for community
development, such as investment pools drawn from
public pension & NGO funds

19. Place Matters
Place focused research
Proximity to Community Assets
Include human development metrics

20. Place Mapping
 Reclaiming abandoned housing
projects’ proximity to key
assets of the community – bus
routes, schools, parks and
recreation areas, and organized
groups – should be assessed and
mobilized to fully re-integrate
those rehabbed housing back
into the neighborhood.
 Research metrics should include
education, health & public
safety indices.
 This holistic approach will help
prevent the reclaimed housing
from falling back into the cycle
of exploitation that leads to
slum conditions.
 Madeline Walker Act Mapping
Project for Tax Sales homes

21. Support Con Plan 2015 - 2019

22. Reclaim PVD Reclaim
RI: Integrated Approach
for Neighborhood
Revitalization
 Expand abandoned housing work to RI
Urban Core: Woonsocket, Pawtucket,
Central Falls, North Providence, East
Providence, Cranston, Warwick, West
Warwick
 Place focused research with proximity
analysis of abandoned homes with
community assets: schools, bus routes,
parks and recreation, libraries, service
agencies & organized groups, public
safety stations
 Extend work of Housing Network of RI
Developer’s Report: assessing impacts
of RI CDCs on health, education and
public safety utilizing census data 1990
– 2010 and create online interactive
ArcGIS story maps of projects

23. Alt Investment
Pools
 Since 2007, this abandoned Potters
Street 3 Decker has been owned by
Wall Street banks (JP Morgan and
currently CitiMortgage) and speculators
 Many localities are using alternative
investment pools drawn from public
pensions and the endowments of large
NGOs such as universities and hospitals
for affordable housing, health care
facilities, food co-ops and Farmer’s
Markets
 Typically these pools make up between
2 – 5 percent of their funds’ assets but
cumulatively it adds up
 The community development projects
funded aim for a 5 - 7 percent return
on investment

24. Job Tool Kit
 A job as Community Development Research
Analyst (potential grant from RI
Foundation)
 Esri ArcGIS advanced license for spatial &
statistical analysis.
 Wide Computer Screen for presentations
 On the Job Training Grant available from
Workforce Solutions of Providence /
Cranston