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City going after owners of blighted properties
10/26/2006 9:17 PM by John M
The city mailed a letter to the owners of each of the more than 3,000 vacant buildings in the city in an effort to reduce neighborhood blight. [via]
The letters going out to property owners requires them to confirm they own the vacant structure, and if so, register it with the city for a $25 a year fee.
“Then we’re going to send out inspectors to make sure that property is boarded up, the grass is cut, and it meets all the basic code enforcement requirements,” says Rachel Flynn, who’s in charge of the new registry.
“If you’re not going to fix your property and be code-compliant, either sell it or fix it. If you won’t, we will,” says Flynn.
TAGGED: real estate
it’s about time!! what about vacant lots?? I have a vacant lot next to me that has been under city control since 2001 because the owner died.
This is so wonderful! There are so many property owners who live out of state and can’t even remember what they own much less take care of it. Hopefully this will bring some much needed cash flow to the City.
that’s great, but how can they expect them to pay up the $25 fee when they are too lazy to keep their houses in good shape?
Unfortunately, I don’t think this letter will do a lot of good, but it’s at least a sign the city realizes how much a vacant building affects the surrounding area.
The Richmond Voice has the story, too.
What a flippin’ joke. I have been complaining via e-mail, US mail and telephone on an almost daily basis since moving to the “hill” about three months ago, about the vacant house next door that has vagrants and crack heads occupying it on a regular basis. The police have come out and arrested perps., a detective interviewed me about the incidences and the city came out and took pictures assuring me that something would be done about this property. Last week I got a notice in the mail regarding my vacant property at the address where I currently live. DUH, stupid #**@*. The vacant property is at:
411 NORTH 31st STREET
RICHMOND, VA 23223
I am the complainer not the complainee. This stupidity is exactly why nothing gets done to rectify the problem areas.
CB
P.S. I have been e-mailing and writing to “Our Very Concerned” Mr. Wilder on a regular basis. I have yet to receive one single response.
Oh, one more thing… it is always helpful to those of us on the “hill” to have others living on the hill (in their $400K and up homes) serving as “slum lords” and allowing trash, non-operable vehicles and overgrowth on the investment properties. THANK YOU!
CB