Subcommitte on Condemned Properties -- HPC tackling the issue!

[sheclown]

[sheclown]

This is an EXCELLENT start to exploring our condemned property issue! Hooray for the HPC!

[uptowngirl]

YAY! Thanks HPC!!!

[Springfielder]

Very cool, and I plan on being there

[sheclown]

Meeting is tonight!

[sheclown]

Good meeting last night (HPC subcommittee on condemned structures). Everyone had thoughtful comments and questions. It is a complicated issue, but one that can be solved especially with community involvement like was shown and a willingness by HPC to explore new (and old) ideas.

The bottom line is that there are currently 139 unsafe structures in Springfield -- of these 87 have been condemned for 3 years, 64 for 7 years, 28 for 10 years.

Since 2008, Code enforcement has boarded 283 properties (presumably several, time and again).

Last year, for example, 26 properties were condemned.  

For years the city has used demolition as a threat to bring homeowners into compliance.  This coupled with fines was thought to be enough of an incentive to get those who own condemned structures moving along on their projects.

Who anticipated the economic world being turned on its ear?  People are walking away from perfectly sound homes on the southside with a lifetime of savings invested it it...why would walking away from a condemned property be such a difficult move in such hard times?

IMHO, it is time to approach owners differently.  We need to convince them to invest in their condemned structures with incentives rather than fear of punishment.  

It is the easiest way to save the houses, as I see it.

Many more houses will be foreclosed on in the near future.  The time for a plan is now.

The good news is that houses (all types) are selling.  If you buy a condemned house, risk the money in this uncertain economy, let's reward that courage with incentives.

Let's be grateful to have people willing to be pioneers, once again.

[sheclown]

The "cost" of demolition:

   There is a number, a percentage of homes that must be maintained to continue to hold on to the historic designation.  I have heard 80% and am looking into that figure.

    Lisa Sheppard believes there were 2500 homes at the time of the designation (Joe thinks less, we are looking into that as well).  Using the higher figure, that would allow for demolition of approx 500 homes over the course of the neighborhood's remaining years.  We don't know how many have actually been demo'd (although we are working toward that as well, and it is crucial info -- if anyone wants to help, let's survey and record away!)  If we have lost, say 250 homes since 1990, then we have only 250 more to lose.  We certainly may have lost more.  Some preliminary homes/vacant lot percentages are fairly high.

    We need to "save" these demolitions for emergency situations ie.  fire or other extreme cases.  We cannot "afford" to demolish perfectly sound structures.

    This is important information.

     There are, currently, 139 condemned houses.

[Jumpinjack]

Those are completely scary numbers, sheclown. Something needs to be done very soon.

Historic Savannah has a revolving fund that they use to purchase and then stabilize homes. On their web they have a sale section to promote sale of the homes for restoration. Here is their description of the fund.

Historic Savannah Foundation’s (HSF) Revolving Fund is nationally recognized for saving hundreds of historic buildings in Savannah. HSF started its Revolving Fund in 1959 and saved entire blocks of buildings within the city’s National Landmark Historic District primarily in Pulaski, Monterey and Troup Wards and, later, throughout the city.

Like most traditional revolving funds, Historic Savannah Foundation purchases endangered historic structures, stabilizes them and holds them for resale to a new owner committed to preservation.  HSF retains and enforces restrictive covenants on the property to assure its future preservation and maintenance.

In the 1990s, an initial investment of $170,000 in eight dilapidated structures generated the redevelopment of over $3 million worth of property in the Beach Institute neighborhood. This neighborhood, which is a mixed income, multi-cultural area on the eastern edge of the Landmark District, has now seen the rehabilitation of approximately 60 buildings and is, once again,  an attractive place to live.

In 2004, the Revolving Fund was used in a similar fashion directing the funds to a single area.  Labeled the Lincoln Street Neighborhood Initiative, the area encompassed Lincoln Street and the surrounding blocks of 32nd and  33rd Streets within the Thomas Square Streetcar District.  HSF purchased two properties and three lots in the area that inturn spurned hundreds of thousands of dollars of private funding over 3 years.  HSF partnered with organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, HGTV, Habitat for Humanity, and New Legacy in order to ensure the neighborhood maintained affordable housingâ€"by both rehabilitation and sensitive new infill.

HSF’s Revolving Fund is its flagship program and what distinguishes the organization from hundreds of other local preservation groups around the country.  This powerful, non-profit, preservation tool enables Historic Savannah to preserve endangered buildings through the actual purchase and resale of these structures to individuals who will restore them.  By putting the organization’s name and financial resources on the line, HSF gets in the game and makes a difference.
Here’s how it works:

    * Donations to HSF Revolving Fund are used to purchase an endangered historic property
    * HSF stabilizes and makes ready the building for sale to a person who commits to rehabilitating the building
    * HSF ensures preservation of the building by providing technical assistance and attaching protective deed covenants to the property
    * HSF uses any proceeds from the sale to purchase another endangered historic building…and so on and so on

Thus the Fund ’revolves’ because properties are purchased and resold with the original donations recovered and used over and over again on other properties.  The Foundation also retains protective covenants on the property to assure its future preservation and maintenance.

[Jumpinjack]

 Here is one of the homes for sale by the Foundation. You can take a virtual tour of the home and look at the list of upgrades that have been made to the house by the Foundation. http://www.myhsf.org/available-properties/1004-east-park-avenue/

[fatcat]

sorry I missed the meeting last night.
I think instead of demolish them, those property should be foreclosed by the city and auction out with starting bid of let's say $1 and requirement for new owner to bring it up to proper condition within 2 years. One of the problem those properties that sitting there and rot is the owner refuse to do anything about it and no one else can do anything about it.

without the foreclosure mechanism, the revolving fund will not work because It is not designed to buy property at inflated price. I looked at one demo listed property on Ionia st a few weeks ago, it will take about $100k to fix and the owner still asking for $30k. Some times the owner is emotionally comprised and unable to make rational decisions when threatened with demolition

[02roadking]

It is going to take a concerted effort on many levels to remedy this problem. The involvment of the Residents, The HPC, Code Enforcement, Mayors office, City Council, General Council, Property Appraiser, along with parties I probably missed, will have to try to fix an issue that has been allowed to fester for a long time. I can be done. It will take time though. Maybe a long time to get to the point that I would like to see. Like THEY say, ya gotta start somewhere. Last night was a beginning.

[iloveionia]

Agreed RoadKing

Also, measures in place to help, support, educate homeowners in this troubling time of our economy are necessary.  With the falling of the big banks, mortgage companies, etc. in these past years, times our tough.  Unemployment rates are at all time highs.  Things are not the same as they were 5-7 years ago.

Punitive measures in our current economic state are not preserving our properties nor offering incentives to restore historic homes.  It is frustrating to folks who want to do the right thing but are met at every turn with resistance.  Believe me, I know first hand there are good people out there, who have tried and have given up because of the lack of support.

Lending a hand, rather than pointing a finger is a better approach.