The Allentown Redevelopment Authority (ARA) was created on January 17, 1956, by Resolution #14120, and is authorized to provide all the services outlined in the Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law 1712.1 of 1945.
Mission: To promote Redevelopment and maintain social infrastructure and healthy community housing within the city limits. Working closely with the City to define areas and properties that are problematic and in need of sound redesign, repurposing or redevelopment for public convenience, economic and community welfare.
Purpose: To acquire unsafe, unsanitary, inadequate or undesirable parcels and buildings using the power of eminent domain (*). Once in ARA’s inventory, they work with Non-Profits, Developers, and Local Contractors to rehabilitate or repurpose these parcels and buildings ultimately returning them to the community as code complaint, tax right properties.
(*) If Government funding is used for the acquisition, income restrictions will apply and will remain with the property for a minimum of 10 years.