About The Germantown Conservancy
The Germantown Conservancy, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) community development corporation, organized February 2009 to eradicate urban blight, provide low-income housing opportunities, and assure preservation of Germantown's historic buildings, primarily through Act 135 of 2008, the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act.
Act 135
Under Act 135, if and when a building is found to be blighted by the court, it appoints a receiver, or as Act 135 calls, a "conservator" who takes legal control of the blighted property. Under the court's direct supervision, the conservator rehabilitates the property and if, the current building owner fails to redeem the conservator's rehabilitation expenses after six months, the conservator sells the building to recoup the expenses.
Saving Germantown
Over 12% of all housing stock in Germantown is abandoned. Major neighborhoods are certified under state law as "blighted." Current estimates of abandoned and blighted property ranges up 4,000 or more buildings. Germantown's homeowners have lost over $826 million in property value due to the volume of blighted property. The City has to spend $4.3 million in extra police, fire and related city services to upkeep such property.
Yet, because of the hundreds of historic homes, houses of worship and landmarks, Germantown is uniquely positioned to be saved . . . and to turn-around to become the classic suburban community it once was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Germantown Conservancy is working hard through the judicial process to force abandoned and blighted property to be held answerable in a court of law for their crimes and damage inflicted upon all taxpayers