Dependable Erection

Communication

Gary highlighted this particular story yesterday about folks in the Cleveland Holloway neighborhood temporarily saving one of their historic homes from destruction. Turns out that city policies make it cheaper and easier for a property owner to neglect a home, allowing its value to fall, and then bulldoze it, than to repair it and sell or rent it.

The Herald-Sun follows up today:

The inciting event was the presence of a bulldozer Tuesday morning in front of 407 Ottawa Ave., a 1920s bungalow assessed at $43,603.

Neighbors had thought the house was up for repairs, but a quick call to the property manager, attorney Jack Walker, confirmed their fears. Ultimately, one of the residents put up $900 of his own money for the demolition crew to leave. Demolition has been put on hold for a week.

"For the neighborhood, what's significant is that when these houses are bulldozed, they become vacant lots that can't be built on," said Natalie Spring, a Cleveland-Holloway leader. "One of the problems we've had in the neighborhood is because there are a lot of vacant lots, there are fewer eyes looking at what's going on."

The incident has brought back memories of when the century-old 501 Oakwood Ave. house was put on the demolition block by the city last fall and has undermined, to some degree, the growing trust between residents and the Neighborhood Improvement Services department.

Residents are working with the city to expand historic preservation in the area, located east of downtown along Holloway Street. But the incident suggests there is a communication problem with city departments at best, according to the residents, and active encouragement by the city to tear down buildings at worst.

Here's the part that jumps out at me, though:

NIS' mission is to ensure safe housing by enforcing the minimum housing code. The department notifies neighborhoods of homes that are up for repairs and ones up for possible demolition.

Another agency, the Durham City-County Inspections Department, actually issues permits for demolition.

Under city regulations, any house with renovations costing more than 50 percent of its assessed value could apply for demolition.

NIS Director Constance Stancil said the department was simply doing its job and does not have the authority to stop demolition by private owners. Further, the NIS and the inspections department do not communicate on demolition permits.

I'm sure there's a very good reason for that. And someone smarter than me can tell me what it is. It might be the same reason the Planning Department and the Inspections Department don't communicate when it comes to reports of illegal construction, either.

Labels: Durham, Endangered Durham