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3/8/2023
Westmoreland County cites offers involving blighted properties
BY RICH CHOLODOFSKY
People who own property near blighted structures are being warned about a potential scam to purchase parcels owned by the county land bank.
Brian Lawrence, executive director of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority, said county and Monessen city officials were alerted after letters were sent from a company called Ythron LLC to property owners near blighted structures targeted for demolition as part of an effort to rehabilitate struggling communities.
The letters from the Lubbock, Texas-based firm falsely claim the company is negotiating with the county to purchase the land bank-owned properties, Lawrence said.
Ythron LLC offered to sell the parcels to neighbors at a reduced rate, according to letters received by property owners. The notice included references to payment plans, low interest rates and a suggested down payment of $549.
“They are not negotiating with us. We do not use brokers and we would never rely on anyone from Lubbock, Texas, to market our properties,” Lawrence said.
Taha Habib, listed by Texas Department of State as the manager of Ythron, could not be reached for comment.
Monessen Mayor Ron Mozer and City Clerk Cheryl Gordon also could not be reached.
The land bank owns about 80 properties throughout the county. Those include 22 in Monessen that are targeted for rehabilitation through the use of demolition funds from the county’s American Rescue Plan.
Officials estimated that as many as 375 properties in Monessen are blighted and about 100 of those could be eligible for demolition as part of Westmoreland’s $10 million effort approved last year by the county commissioners.
The countywide program will focus on parcels
Property owners urged to exercise caution
in Arnold, Greensburg, Jeannette, Monessen, New Kensington, Penn Borough and Vandergrift, and it identified about 300 blighted properties for demolition.
Properties included in the blight removal program are privately owned or have been purchased by the land bank. In addition to the land bank’s inventory of sites in Monessen, the agency also owns 19 blighted properties in New Kensington.
Lawrence said property owners should act with caution if contacted by land brokers attempting to sell blighted properties. He expects to have the agency’s attorney send a cease-and desist letter to the Texas company. The district attorney’s office will also be asked to investigate a potential scam, he said.
“We know scammers will take advantage of vulnerable people, and this comes on the heels of what the county is trying to do — to get rid of tax delinquent and blighted properties,” Lawrence said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter @RichCholodofsky.
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