To Be Demolished: The Formal Track to demolition

[avs]

That house is by my house.  It's fine.  It's been boarded up for years, which is fine by me!  I would much rather have a boarded up house next to me for years and years that I know will one day be renovated than a blighted vacant lot and a less dense neighborhood.  That house should not be demo-ed!

[nvrenuf]

This is something MJ should do a photo tour of.  It's one thing to see a list of random addresses but it could really hit home with more people if they could see the structures in their current state.  It would be also interesting to see how this policy compares with those in Savannah, Charleston and St. Augustine.

Great ideas. iloveionia enlisted someone to photograph several of the properties currently in danger. Do we have a comprehensive list yet sorted by street and block? If not, I need the raw data and will work on that. Sheclown?

[iloveionia]

I'm working in the near future with Stephen on a "photo tour."
nvrenuf, I emailed you data from HPC.  It's what you need.

[CS Foltz]

SPAR is a waste of oxygen! Local residents will have to band together and form a counter organization inorder to slow down wanton waste of historical structures! If the continueance of empty lots continues......Springfield will have to change its name to something like..........Empty Lot USA! The City probably won't do much to help, they can not afford it.........but maybe they can be shamed into doing something! After all, if John Boy can pay Alan, who is not working for the City any longer, they should be able to, at the very least, work with residents who give a darn about their neighborhood! What about it Johnny..........here is your chance to leave a legacy that means something!

[iloveionia]

In all fairness, Brenda at SPAR has been work these last months as executive director against demolitions. I have meeting minutes from HPC to post that will validate this.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

as much as i dislike and distrust SPAR, i second iloveionia on that--there are people in the organisation who genuinely want to save these houses.  many were expecting SPAR to be something different than it is, and then thought it'd be easiër to redirect the current organisation than to start a new one.

[BigGuy219]

Again, being a "foreigner" here this still leaves me a bit dumbfounded. I took a drive through Springfield last night and this morning, having not spent any time there, despite living downtown, and while some of the properties did seem in disrepair, overall it had a rather charming feel.
There has to be some financial reason for wanting these homes destroyed so quickly. Money ties to the demolition crews? Eminate domain use of the vacant land? Do property values go up when a house in disrepair is suddenly vaporized?
Being a born and bred New Yorker I'm understandably crooked, and whenever I see something like this, I'm seeing money changing hands. Did anyone see that episode of The Sopranos where Tony got the HUD money to buy damaged homes, then demolished them, sold off the scrap material, and then sold the land to a building contractor? Is there a grid map of all this demolition? And has anyone with a hooked nose and a Cadillac been sighted driving up and down the blocks?

[ChriswUfGator]

In all fairness, Brenda at SPAR has been work these last months as executive director against demolitions. I have meeting minutes from HPC to post that will validate this.

The problem is that SPAR is claiming it's trying to fight demolitions that SPAR actually caused in the first place.

I think it's very hard to trust SPAR or take them seriously, especially given the recent hoopla over the carwash being painted a color they didn't like. If they've changed then great, but from this end it sure seems like more of the same misbehaved people doing the same asinine crap. I hope they turn around.

[iloveionia]

Again, I said "Brenda from SPAR" I did not simply say SPAR. I am confident Brenda will develop a sensible pattern of going against demolition and working for positive change. I am doing my best with others to support by solidifying a plan of action in preserving historic homes.   

[sheclown]

This is something MJ should do a photo tour of.  It's one thing to see a list of random addresses but it could really hit home with more people if they could see the structures in their current state.  It would be also interesting to see how this policy compares with those in Savannah, Charleston and St. Augustine.

Great ideas. iloveionia enlisted someone to photograph several of the properties currently in danger. Do we have a comprehensive list yet sorted by street and block? If not, I need the raw data and will work on that. Sheclown?

Great!  I drove up and down Ionia today and made a little graph.  I have pictures of all of the houses and a notation of their relative condition.  I would like to compare this with the number of actual lots from the property appraisers data base and see how many historic homes are actually left standing.

Never, you could do the same with your street.  It was hit pretty darn hard.  Addresses of the houses that remain.  Notations whether they are condemned, restored, livable, non-conforming or new construction and a picture of each.  I'm going to make a data base that several of us (you included if you wish) can post to.  I think if we just tackle this block by block we can make it work.

[sheclown]

My list is no where near comprehensive.  I still have to check on demo COA's which I can do, but many many empty lots are no where to be found on the info I currently have.  There are also condemned properties that are not on HPC's list.   

Oddly enough, as I was driving around checking on the status of the homes on my list, I noticed that my list is barely the tip of the iceberg.  It was then, that I knew we needed to take another survey.

I have a list of homes, street by street, which are on the formal track and still standing.  I'll post this and we need to get some hearts on these homes to let everyone know their days are numbered!

[strider]

Strider your facts are basically correct but, as Paul Harvey liked to say "heres the rest of the story".

The house was first inspected on Nov 20 2003 and was found at that time to have serious structural defects INSIDE and out, constituting a fire and windstorm hazard and was unfit for human habitation.
The case proceeded through normal channels including sending the property owners numerous notices of the violations. When no response was heard it went to the Special Magistrate for at least 4 hearings. Only one hearing did the owners ever show. They were given opportunity after opportunity to correct the issues. During that time they sold the house to another person, so the entire process started all over again. Notices were sent to the new owners advising of the violations. More Special Magistrate hearings were held and again the owners failed to appear.

It was finally ordered demo'ed, after almost 5 years of the owners making no effort to bring the building up to code. Meanwhile its condition was getting worse and worse. At some point in time the city has to draw the line and say enough.

I have seen pictures of the interior and it was absolutely unlivable. Believe me, the city does not want to demo a house. They would much rather owners fix them up. That adds to the tax base as you pointed out and is a win/win for everyone. But there are some structures that eventually the city has to step in and be the bad guy.

I hope this clears up some of the discussion of this particular structure.

To begin with, jbroadglide, I am going to call some BS on you. You are quoting from records alright, but only those that support you take on things and not what the reality of the situation was.   Even your years are not really correct. I picked this house as an example for a reason.  I know this house.  Much better than code enforcement ever did.

I used to own this house at 27 - 29 West 7th street. A permit was pulled in 2003 and we replaced the sill, jacked up the center of the houses , replaced 1/3 of the framing of the house and ½ of the roof framing and put a new standing seam clip loc metal roof on it (rood permit 8/2003).  The work was put on hold for a time due to personal reasons.  The supposed  November 2003 inspection that found all those structural issues is pure and unadulterated bull shit.  SPAR Council, Code Enforcement, SRG and JSO all had tried to get this house and the one next to it demo’d  prior to us pulling the permit.  

SPAR Council (per code enforcement) turned it AGAIN  to code enforcement and code enforcement decided after they break into it (their words, not mine) that it needed additional boarding and so I find out about this when they are doing it.  Because the notices went to the wrong address. The right address was on the PRC, but somehow they used the old address.  The result of the appeal was “Ohpps, pay anyway”.  The city got their “blood money” of  $2500.00 for about 500.00 worth of work that was not really needed when I sold the house a few months later.

The women who bought the house paid good money for it.  They were going to be my realtors but bought it instead.  I got what seemed like very good money, but somehow in the end, there was a capital loss.  Just works that way sometimes.  The sisters did not get to do much as the market began falling.  

I can not state about any meetings, but  I know they spent a decent amount of money for a couple of years trying to keep ahead of code enforcement.  I know this because I know them and the guy who did the work.  The inside of the house was of course not livable, anyone with an ounce of sense knew that and knew why.  it was a construction site and a house being brought back from that fairly massive fire.  However, as stated above, the STRUCTURE of the house was new and so it was not falling down as the minutes of some meetings seem to indicate.  I know this to be true without a doubt.  Pictures can be taken in such a way to make it look worse than it really is, but this house was structurally sound and should not have been taken.

At some time, the house got foreclosed on by the hard money lender.  Code enforcement of course kept up their fun little dance with this house and  the lender realized they only way to get any peace was to have it or let it get torn down.   I do certainly believe that the hard money lender did not show up to any meetings.  Your statements, jbroadglide, about the owner not showing up at meetings is mostly just misleading. It implies a person when by then it was most likely a “bank”.  Unless of course, they were while I owned the house and never got notices for, like the one about boarding.  Very possible with code enforcement at the time as they and SPAR council and SRG all wanted this house gone.  

So, by “embroidering” the truth, the lender, the code enforcement department and who knows who else got one of the few historic homes zoned CCG-S ½ block off of main torn down.  Do any of you know how few historic homes are left and zoned right to become cool little commercial establishments?  Very, very  few are left, thank you code enforcement policies.

So, Jbroadglide, whoever you really are, when you try to set that record straight next time, make sure you have all the real facts and not just what you wish to be true.  So much for you and Paul Harvey.  

This guy and his post is exactly why we are where we are today.  And why we need new blood like Iluvionia and others here to save the houses that are left.  Now, back to the important issues at hand.

[sheclown]

DANGER LIST: Named Streets
These houses are all on the formal track and are still standing (as of this afternoon).  They will be demolished if not repaired in the very near future.  This list was built using Historic Planning Department information and is based on the ruling by the HPC.

Ionia:  1140, 1323, 1551-1555, 1626,

Walnut:  1528

Walnut Court:  423 (already has a green tag -- door is open-- needs boarding)

Liberty:  1334, 1415, 1417, 1430, 1925

Market:  1145, 2011

Pearl:  1643, 1647

[sheclown]

Numbered Streets:

East Second:  32,229,253

West Third:  32(?)

East Third:  115

East 5th:  321, 349

West 6th:  48-50

West 10th:  342

This is by no means a full list.  There are many condemned houses that are not on the HPC list.  We will find those condemned houses when we do our survey.  However, this list gives us a beginning point.  All SPRs should watch out for these and if you see the sewer lines being cut, notify us.  It means demolition is only a short time away.

[sheclown]

Sec. 307.106 (t)   In any case where the Chief of Building Inspection or the Chief of Property Safety determines that there are emergency conditions dangerous to life, health or property affecting a landmark, a landmark site, or a property in an historic district, either Chief may order the remedying of these conditions in accordance with other applicable laws or regulations without the approval of the Commission or issuance of a required certificate of appropriateness. This Section specifically includes those structures that have been defined to be unsafe pursuant to Section 548.102(a), (3), (12) or (13), Ordinance Code. The Chief of Building Inspection or Chief of Property Safety shall promptly notify the Chairman of the Commission of the action being taken.



Sec. 307.113.  Construction with other laws and severability.

(a)   Whenever a provision of this Chapter conflicts with a provision of the Ordinance Code, the provision that is more conducive to protection of public safety, health and welfare shall prevail. Provided, however, in the event a structure that has been designated as a landmark or contributing to an historic district under the provisions of this Chapter is declared to be an unsafe structure or condemned pursuant to Chapter 518, Ordinance Code, except emergency action as provided in Section 307.106(t), Property Safety shall notify the Commission at the same time the owner or other responsible party is notified and no demolition of the structure shall commence until the Commission has responded to the division. Such response shall be made within 60 days of such notification by Property Safety. If the Commission requests that the structure not be demolished, then the Commission shall advise Property Safety as to what actions will be taken to correct the unsafe conditions and when such actions will be taken in order to avoid the necessity of the City proceeding with abatement action. Notwithstanding, if the indicated actions are not taken within the time indicated in the Commission's response, and in the opinion of the Chief of Property Safety no such action will be taken within a reasonable time, no further notice shall be required to the Commission prior to Property Safety proceeding with abatement action. However, such abatement action shall include demolition of the structure only when the Commission, at the request of the Chief of Property Safety, determines that demolition is appropriate action and that other abatement action is not economically feasible or practical. The Commission shall give a recommendation within 30 days of being requested by the Chief of Property Safety. If the Commission fails to give a recommendation within 30 days, the Chief of Property Safety shall be allowed to take whatever action he deems appropriate.