"Emergency" Demolition in Springfield

[Bill Hoff]

- The current policies concerning vacant and neglected houses.

- Depends on the org. SPR has numerous.

- How much? Depends on the market, I guess. 3 single family and 1 multifamily are under way now. We'll see.

[MEGATRON]

Apache has for more eloquently stated the issue that I have been pushing.  The system in place right now obviously does not offer the necessary incentives to entice folks into taking the chance on rehabbing an old house.  Mothballing is a good start as is temporarily saves the structures while the system is revised.  However, there must be a plan to rehab the house after mothballing. 

Literally hundreds of million of institutional dollars are pouring into Florida right now buying up distressed property.  While I am not sure the type of investment is a positive one, the money is out there. 

I admire everyone's dedication to the cause.  I really do and I want to see this preservation movement succeed.  But there has to be a plan post-mothball for these structures.

[Tennman44]

I know that when a ship is damaged it can always be repaired but sometimes it's determined to be beyond economic repair and it gets scrapped. Is this true of buildings, too? I'm not being obnoxious. This is a real question.

[carpnter]

Perhaps a public records request regarding the communication between Kim Scott and Chris Farley is in order. 

Whether the house should or should not have been demolished is, IMO, not as big an issue as the city suddenly deciding that an emergency demolition was warranted.  It would not surprise me if you could find a dozen properties in much worse condition and in need of demolition than the house that needed the "emergency" demolition. 

[mbwright]

I'm sure there are properties the city owns that could be demolished. 

Process
1) Fine/Lien the Property Owner for some period of time
2) After some time, if no effort is made to pay or repair, Condemn the property
3) After some time, City takes the abandoned property
4) City auctions the property with a deed restriction against demo and that renovation must begin within 6 months
5) Have 2 auction periods, 1st is for Owner Occupants only with no Investors allowed to bid, if no Owner Occupant wants it then Investors can bid.

The earlier process that was listed, is a good start, but the city insists on ending it at step two, where condemn and demolish are at the same time.

[Debbie Thompson]

Apples and oranges.  As long as an historic home can be stabilzed and saved, the value, both historic and monetary, of said home has potential.  Maybe someone who can do it themselves may come along and fall in love with the possibilities of the house.  A vacant lot, well, you can build a new house, but not an historic house in an historic district.  New houses, that's what Mandarin and Nocatee are made for. 

[John P]

No I dont think so. New construction fits in well in historic area if it is done right. Thank god there is new construtcion finally going in on Lydia street. Those lots have been emopty forever.

[iloveionia]

Preservation SHOULD prevail.
History is desicrated in Jax not embraced.

[iloveionia]

I disagree vehemently that: "The current mothballing ordinance, while assisting some distressed owners, does not address deterioration; in fact, in some instances it may promote neglect."

Some schooling on the ordinance is clearly needed.  The intent of mothballing is to protect the home from the weather elements and bad people elements.  Mothballing removes blight.  Mothballing means the house is safe and won't fall down or apart (as if this was a possibility, it was fixed.)  Mothballing preserves a home while the owner has 3-6 years to bring the home to habitability.  This 3-6 years, provided you are adhering to the original COA (monitoring and rehab plan) keeps code enforcement off your ass. The end outcome of the mothball COA is to earn the Certificate of Occupancy!  Virtually every discussion about mothballing overlooks this fact!  Owners who give a shit and need the time, mothball.  Having mothballed seven homes in Springfield, I know what's up.  The end goal is the Certificate of Occupancy!

Sheclown posted a few pages ago about Chpt 518 where it clearly states code has the ability to maintain safety WHILE preserving our history, but they refuse. REFUSE! Code is not on the side of preservation, and if you ARE a preservationist, you shouldn't be talking with code.  I learned my lesson a few years ago. 

While there are several organizations in Springfield, there is only ONE recognized neighborhood voice.  Oh, PSOS' voice is loud and clear, but we are not the neighborhood organization.  Not then, not now, not ever.  I have zero understanding of how one can live in a Nationally Recognized neighborhood and advocate for the demolition of our homes when clearly there are other options.

Save the damn houses already.  Gheesh.

[sheclown]

http://www.youtube.com/v/_0fZK3HxS7s?version=3&hl=en_US

video courtesy of Kim Pryor, who recorded it for all of us

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

No I dont think so. New construction fits in well in historic area if it is done right. Thank god there is new construtcion finally going in on Lydia street. Those lots have been emopty forever.

once EVERY existing house is occupied, then there's a call for new construction.  until then, there's no excuse.  empty lots and full houses are far better than slapping a genuine imitation new old house on every empty lot you see while existing houses stand vacant.

[hooplady]

What is clear from the video - as we have seen time and time again -  is how difficult it is to tear down these supposedly rickety and dangerous structures.  The balloon-framing is amazingly strong, which is why these houses have stood for so long and which makes mothballing the logical and clearly superior alternative.

Instead of a few hundred $$ worth of lumber to brace the porch, our government elects to spend thousands of our tax dollars on an unnecessary demolition.  I find that deeply offensive on many levels.

[DDC]

I realize that there may need to be some tweaking, rewriting or what ever you want to call it, of the codes and the mothball legislation and what ever applies. But I don't think any of that is our main problem. The problem as I see it is a rogue department and director who absolutely refuses to help in any way shape or form. Someone has to have the mayors ear and can get to him. Kim Scott should be removed from her job and an outsider brought in to rework this rogue department.

[DDC]

Apache, what I know I have learned from this forum and also MySpringfield.org. Although I do have personal experience with code enforcement, it was not all unfavorable and did not drag on for an unbearable amount of time, but then again it was in another neighborhood.

There are numerous threads that you can read about MCCD (code enforcement). Is it all one sided? For the most part, I would say so, but in my time on this forum I have learned that most of the players here are fair and will give the benefit of the doubt to the opposing view. Much of what I have learned about MCCD and how they think is from reading minutes from meeting that have been posted here. If you have time to search and read through some you may come to an understanding your self.

The fact is, the same legislation that enables MCCD to destroy a home also enables them to do minor repairs to homes to eliminate a perceived problem. i.e. this case where it was requested that a gable be stabilized. Now I am not an engineer, contractor,ore even a carpenter. But I have enough experience to know that it would have cost  considerably less to stabilize then to destroy. And this has been the case in numerous demolitions through the years here in Springfield.

From all appearances, MCCD has no desire to work with this neighborhood. And I would say that if it were not for PSOS, many more houses could have been sacrificed were it not for their intervention.

I don't know if this helps Apache. I feel I have just rambled. I may not be able to tell you why I think what MCCD is doing is wrong. I just know it is.

[sheclown]

What I know (and there are holes for sure) is that the rules governing code enforcement changed in 2007. At that time, the city, frustrated with their inability to deal with drugs by conventional law and order and its clumsy due process, decided to make code enforcement its back door police force.

This was the DART program.  (Certainly DART had been around for a decade before, but the power of code was greatly increased in 2007)

Drug Abatement Response Team (DART)

The Jacksonville 'Drug Abatement Response Team (DART) was established to combat illegal drugs in Jacksonville by supplementing the traditional approach to solving the drug problem. This program is a partnership between the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the City of Jacksonville to focus on the property where drug activity and/or other illegal activities flourishes. By working with landlords/property owners, code enforcement strategies are developed and resources are brought to bear to reduce and eliminate crime. Actions include bringing the property up to code, as a way to deter illegal activity on the site.

Perhaps a program with the best of intentions. Perhaps it did some good.

Perhaps it created a monster.

We need to re-examine the ordinance which gives code enforcement their police powers and add some safety checks to win back the public trust.

For example, this troublesome section:

Sec. 518.105. - Authority to interpret; and to make, alter and repeal rules.permanent link to this piece of content

The Chief is authorized to interpret this Chapter and to make, alter and repeal rules in conformity to this Chapter he deems necessary to implement the requirements hereof, subject to the appeal process specified herein. All rules and interpretations shall be in writing and kept on file in the Chief's office.

Really...WTF?

We decided it was the property which is to blame for the crimes which occur inside of it -- and to combat this, we have given the power to determine the structural integrity of our most cherished historic properties to people trained to deal with "safety" as crime-free and not any type of building construction understanding or training.

(And let's not even talk about the rare occasions when they bring in Atlantic Engineering to rubber stamp a decision already made.)

Let's turn the drug dealers over to JSO, the properties over to the building inspection department, and code can deal with citing properties for overgrown weeds and abandoned cars.