Vacant Houses....the Scourge of our City!
On Saturday I had the opportunity to meet with a unique collaborative community wide effort. Michelle Johnson & Kevin Hayes have assembled a group of individuals who are galvanized around "flipping" and the scourge of vacant houses here in the city. JM Reed from Polis Realty and Common Council member Joe Golombek were present, too.
I composed this as a follow-up to that meeting and would like to share it here.
I have just learned that the Buffalo Fire Dept has mapped 4010 buildings Continue reading...
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Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq
Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq
Any inventory must include an honest assessment of whether the property can reasonably be rehabbed. The Demolition Industry in Buffalo clearly has a lot of clout and I fear that demo will be the default setting if a process to address vacant housing ever picks up speed. Just consider that the Inspection Commissioner blew off the Control Board's express instructions just to get another huge demo contract signed and out the door.
It's important to watch who is making the counts too. The Fire Department has a vested interest in a high count of vacant structures (more vacant structures = more need for fire fighters).
Other vacant property web sites to visit include www.vacantproperties.org, www.knowledgeplex.org.
Finally, any demolitions should be done in the context of a PLAN for what will happen to the neighborhood afterward. Maybe there are neighborhoods where remaining residents will need to be relocated so that a whole block, or adjoining blocks can be cleared completely. That would be better than a few houses scattered about here and there, but there has to be a rational (could such a thing happen in Buffalo) plan for where neighborhoods will remain and be invested in.