Delaware lawmakers in Dover pulled a bill that would have given Wilmington power to seize vacant property for community development following a heated community meeting Wednesday evening.
More than 100 Wilmington residents, city elected officials, community organizers and advocates gathered inside the Wilmington PAL Center to discuss eminent domain legislation introduced earlier this month and slated for a vote Thursday.
Some City Council members and civil rights and housing advocates blasted the bill for its proposed sweeping authority for government property seizure for only one jurisdiction in Delaware; challenged its necessity given current eminent domain laws and other provisions available to Wilmington to deal with vacant, dilapidated buildings; and questioned what the rush was to push the proposal in the last days of the legislative session.
POSTPONED:Delaware House delays vacant property seizure vote to allow for community outreach, input
HOUSING:Dozens displaced after partial collapse of North Adams Street apartment in Wilmington
Proponents of the bill argued that it would simply give City Council another tool to deal with blighted, vacant property in Wilmington, which attracts criminal and drug activity and becomes a haven for squatters, bringing down property values.
“If you live next door to a vacant, you understand what we’re talking about,” the bill’s sponsor, House Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha told the crowd Wednesday. “We’re not talking about taking homes from seniors. All this bill does, at the end of the day, is give City Council the opportunity to create a process and say, ‘we want to use this.’”
Residents at the meeting pushed back on Chukwuocha’s narrative, at one point chanting “pull that bill.”
Attendees pleaded with the legislator – the only lawmaker sponsoring the bill who attended the community meeting – to table the bill and allow for more discussion and debate over its necessity.
“My question to you is – and then after this we can all go home – are you going to recommend this bill be tabled? That’s all we want to know, and once you answer, we can go home,” community organizer Rev. Melissa Bordley said. “Then we’ll know whether we want to vote you back in or not…if you can’t work for me, I can’t work for you.”
Above the murmurs and shouts in support of Bordley’s demand to table the bill, Chukwuocha said, “Ma’am, if you want to vote me out on this bill, feel free to.”
Wilmington legislators Thursday afternoon issued a joint statement announcing the bill would be held and would not be reconsidered this year.
Chukwuocha, Rep. Stephanie T. Bolden, Sen. Darius Brown, Sen. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman and Sen. Sarah McBride said in the statement that the bill was put forward to “empower Wilmington officials” to take action on vacant properties, but acknowledged there are a lot of “questions, concerns and misunderstandings” about the bill and its impact.
The bill would have given Wilmington authority to seize property that is vacant for three years or more so long as the council and mayor passed an ordinance declaring that taking the property would be “part of a community development plan necessary to prevent the decline or decay of the building or its surrounding area.”
“We love the city in which we reside and know that doing nothing is not an option. But we also understand the concerns community members have raised and the desire for more conversation about this proposal,” Delaware lawmakers wrote. “We are hopeful the ongoing dialogue will bring us closer to a mutual understanding among the city’s elected officials and its residents regarding Wilmington’s plan to encourage the development of safe and affordable housing.”
City Councilwoman Zanthia Oliver, who hosted the community meeting Wednesday and pushed to postpone the bill’s vote earlier this week, credited Longhurst as well as Rep. Sherry Dorsey-Walker and Sen. Sarah McBride for “listening to the constituents.”
“It’s about listening to constituents’ voices, pros and cons,” she said. “Elected officials must remember who they work for.”
Latin American Community Center Executive Director Maria Matos expressed confidence that the bill would have been used to address long-vacant buildings.
“I hope people understand that this legislation isn’t going to go after a property owner who is conscientious. They’re not going to come and snatch someone’s property from them,” she said. “It’s to give the city power to do something about this broken window syndrome that we have.”
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, or by calling 302-598-5507. Follow her on Twitter at @mandy_fries.
