O'Hara, Etna residents can expand property, fight blight

O’Hara and Etna residents can expand their property and fight blight at the same time, with help from an Allegheny County program.

The 2019 Side Yard and Blighted Structure Program runs through Sept. 30.

It assists residents in purchasing and transforming vacant or dilapidated properties into usable space.

O’Hara and Etna are among 47 municipalities in the limited-run program

Officials said it benefits residents as well as the community because it helps people to expand their property without the burden of owing back taxes.

The county will accept up to 60 applications in the order they are received. There is a limit of one application per household.

O’Hara Manager Julie Jakubec has said the program is a great way for people to claim a vacant property, and in many cases, it is a property they have already been maintaining.

For the municipalities, it gets the property back on the tax rolls.

To be eligible, applicants must be current on their taxes, and water, sewage and refuse bills on all properties owned in Allegheny County. Targeted properties must be vacant or have a vacant structure on them.

No payment is required to apply.

For more, visit ohara.pa.us, Facebook.com/Etnaborough or alleghenycounty.us/residents/vprp-applications.aspx.