Board members weigh options after visiting blighted houses
By BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.comArticle Photos
Not all blighted properties require demolition.
On Monday, a contingent from the City of Warren Redevelopment Authority toured two homes that were placed on the blighted properties list and subsequently bought by the city.
The authority decides what should be done with blighted properties in the city.
Vice chairperson Tricia Durbin and members Robert Kaemmerer and Tim Huber evaluated properties at 104 Main Ave. and 467 Prospect St.
It was the first group tour for an authority that has been in existence since 2000.
"Normally we take a recommendation from the city as far as what to do with a building," Huber said. "Wherever we can rehab a building, we rehab it."
Most of the properties that have been brought before the authority in the past didn't require very close inspections.
The group first had a blighted property demolished in 2005 and has taken down a total of 10 structures so far with two more pending.
According to Building Code Official Alan Gustafson, the city's blight elimination efforts started with the worst cases. Many of those weren't worth saving and were slated for demolition.
However, the degree of degradation is less with the homes the authority members visited on Monday.
"They don't necessarily need to be demolished," Gustafson said.
The authority can try to sell the properties it buys.
Both properties were bought at discount rates by the authority at sheriff's sale in September.
Authority funding comes largely from Community Development Block Grants, Gustafson said.
The 104 Main Ave. property is in a good location in a good neighborhood, according to Durbin.
It has been vacant since July 2008 when it was declared uninhabitable, Gustafson said. It was purchased at tax sale for $2,677.
The structure of the building is sound, but the interior is crumbling and full of debris.
The members expressed concerns that the cost of cleaning out the two-family home, gutting it, and getting it ready for occupation would be prohibitive. They weighed those concerns against pulling down a building in a neighborhood and leaving an obvious gap.
"As much as you'd love to save a beautiful, old house like this it just may not be in the cards," Kaemmerer said. "Just a shame. Just an absolute shame."
The Prospect Street house shared the location virtue. "It's in a good location," Kaemmerer said. "Great view of the city. The lot alone is valuable."
"It's a long lot," Huber said.
The interior of the house is in fairly good condition, except for two rooms seriously damaged by fire. "I think this one's definitely salvageable," Kaemmerer said. "This one's got a better chance."
That house has been vacant since December 2007 when the fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom, Gustafson said. The authority paid $1,933 for the property.
The city's blighted properties efforts have resulted in a total of 25 buildings being demolished, with 15 of those handled by the owners and 10 by the city.
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maggiesmom
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03-10-10 7:37 PM
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You are right Clark. Once again, I use Jamestown as the example. It is a disgusting mess and they don't have a City Manager to beat up for every problem. They have an elected mayor and a city council who don't have the guts to face the slumlords. They would rather have the scummy houses on the tax rolls for as long as they can. Jamestown had a 7% tax increase and still don't have the means to clean up their act. When is the last time Warren had a tax increase?
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Clark
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03-09-10 9:00 PM
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If property owners keep up their property, they have nothing to worry about. I'm sure City officials lie awake at night figuring out how to seize property. I've seen these properties they have "acquired" and torn down in the past. They needed to be torn down and they certainly weren't going to get better on their own. I heard one of the houses that was torn down last year was full of black mold and people had been living there. Owners of these types of properties should be in jail or at least be forced to live in them. Hopefully the days of slumlords being allowed to drain the life out of a property without maintaining them are becoming shorter. City official are to commended for their efforts.
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TheOtherVoice
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03-09-10 12:18 PM
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First it was "emminent domain" but now I see they have figured a new way to "aquire" property from landowners.
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maggiesmom
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03-09-10 2:12 AM
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Bravo to the RDA. They and the City have done a terrific job cleaning up Warren. Look around at neighboring communities, they are a mess. The Bradford Era recently featured the City in an article about blight and highlighted Warren. The East Side of town is looking better every day. It didn't become a mess over night and progress is being made. The City needs to remain tough and stick to their guns. In the end, every one benefits including tenants, landlords and the neighbors who have to put up with blighted properties in their neighborhood.
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