Vacant Houses....the Scourge of our City!
0 Comments Published by fixBuffalo on Saturday, February 05, 2005 at 1:47 PM.
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 that are boarded in Buffalo. Joe Golombek has 12 in his district and thought there were 450 buildings ready for demo! All the more reason to properly assess and inventory. My very reliable source tells me that out of the 95,733 parcels of property in the city there are in addition to the 4010 from the fire dept, 13,000 parcels that have not been properly surveyed and most probably contain additional abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant houses and buildings.
Dear Michele,
Thank you for including me in your meeting and welcoming me as a member of this "task force". I admire and encourage every citizen lead effort that seeks to make our neighborhoods safer and more prosperous. It's the only way out of the hole we find ourselves in. Driving "positive" investment into our neighborhoods is a solid forward step.
The problem we experience in this section of Masten (Main/Jefferson -- Ferry/Utica) resembles the problems in other parts of the city. The difference here is that the primary owner of abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant houses is not an "out-of-state-investor" trying to minimize their tax burden by buying a chunk of real estate on Ebay. Here in this part of Masten the city of Buffalo is the owner of 8 of the 10 houses that the students at the recently abandoned Buffalo Traditional High School confront on their way to and from school everyday.
All of these houses were owned by city or local residents before the city of Buffalo became the owner. In a few cases the owners simply could not keep up with the destructive behavior of their tenants. In other cases the owner died.
After the task force meeting today I visited the area immediately surrounding the recently renovated Emerson High School and took pictures of the houses that fit my "abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant" category. The problem is not Koons Avenue. Walk around the corner to Goodyear Avenue and right behind the house at 242 Koons is an entire city block of the same. I walked over to Titus Street, one block further away. Same thing. The place at 242 Koons is one example. The Woodlawn Avenue Row Houses, a "local-landmark, " sit less 100 feet away from the high schools main entrance just like 242 Koons is less than 100 feet away from Emerson.
From where I sit and think we don't really know how extensive the "problem" is. Sure we might be able to get Elliot Spitzer to enjoin Ebay from marketing properties in certain zip codes. Than what about Zip Reality or a list of other "on-line" sellers of real estate. We now understand that EBay also recently purchased Rent.com.
To properly get our "arms around" the problem of abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant houses and buildings here in the city of Buffalo we need to inventory and realistically access our neighborhoods, especially around the schools. (Perhaps even making it a requirement as part of the JSCP that the contractor must demo or secure houses in the adjoining area.) I've begun studying what other cities have done in this regard and would hope that some of you follow this link about the problems in Detroit. (Here, there are a number of valuable links and stories about how mapping the problem is helping to solve the problem.)
Part of getting our "arms around" and understanding the problem of abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant property is "visualizing" the problem. I mentioned this morning the work that the New Millennium Group recently did to raise our awareness and attention regarding downtown parking. The resulting anger lead to action about downtown parking. They mapped it. They helped us visualize the problem for the first time. Follow this link if you are not familiar with their work.
I sought refuge in the downtown library after my tour of the Fillmore District and met with Cynthia van Ness, Please subscribe to a yahoo e-group she moderates, "Buffalo Issues Alerts" She is extremely resourceful, fully "engaged" in helping us understand urban problems. Get on her list if you're not already.
My next stop was Old Editions Book Shop & Cafe located at Huron & Sycamore. I had the unexpected opportunity to meet and talk with Chuck Banas from the New Millennium Group. He's all about collaborative, positive and smart urban growth here in our shrinking city. He strongly supports the "GIS" mapping and collaborative work with Buffalo State and State University of NY at "Amherst" geography folks that Kevin Hayes was talking about this morning.
Mapping, visualizing and really getting our "arms around" the magnitude of the problem city-wide, I believe is an important step in raising awareness and attention. This will lead others in the city to join us in the anger we experience everyday living in our neighborhoods.
I'm confident that this sort of positive assessment, inventory and mapping will help move us towards neighborhoods that are safer and more prosperous. The kind of city we all want.
Kevin, Michelle & everyone else I appreciate your efforts. Count me in. See you next Saturday!
This "Task Force" meets at Cafe 59 on the corner of Allen & Frankin, Saturdays at 10:30am. Join us and help solve these problems.
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