City sues slumlords/abandoned property owners

[DetroitPlanner]

I am glad to see this. It is about time.

http://www.freep.com/article/2014040...ht-Mike-Duggan

[Lowell]

The tactic is targeted and interesting - instead of hitting giant eyesore property owners, like say a certain Mr. Moroun, it moves on houses that can be saved. Neighborhood preservation is at the base.

It begs this question. What if the code violation process could be intensified - let's say adding 1000 inspectors, court personnel etc. to the effort, would that halt further blight growth and even reverse the process as free-wheeling speculative owner would fix up instead of neglecting in face of penalties and forfeiture? The savings in demolition and population loss could cover that cost.

Like parking enforcement, the one that department always worked well in the City of Detroit, it could pay for itself. And maybe go after the Moroun's.

Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration will target the owners of 79 abandoned homes that are still in good condition in a west-side Detroit neighborhood today as he begins going after negligent landlords who leave houses to rot in a city flush with blight.


The administration will go after the owners of those homes in the Marygrove neighborhood, taking the property owners to court to force them to either fix up the properties and get them inhabited again or risk losing them to the city and its Detroit Land Bank

[Honky Tonk]

The tactic is targeted and interesting - instead of hitting giant eyesore property owners, like say a certain Mr. Moroun, it moves on houses that can be saved. Neighborhood preservation is at the base.

It begs this question. What if the code violation process could be intensified - let's say adding 1000 inspectors, court personnel etc. to the effort, would that halt further blight growth and even reverse the process as free-wheeling speculative owner would fix up instead of neglecting in face of penalties and forfeiture? The savings in demolition and population loss could cover that cost.

Like parking enforcement, the one that department always worked well in the City of Detroit, it could pay for itself. And maybe go after the Moroun's.

Not to rain on the parade, but again, you have to have a draw to get people, MONEY people, to move back in. In Detroit's current crime state, I'm hoping for the best, but wishing them luck.

[poobert]

This has the potential to be huge. The neighborhood like he is targeting is exactly the kind that is critical to Detroit's survival. Not glamorous, but still filled with stately old homes in good condition, and populated largely by good, working class folks still.

These people may not have lots of money, but they do have some.

These neighborhoods still hold a mild draw in that they offer great bang-for-buck housing stock. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants to leave the city for the suburbs. The reasons aren't entirely cheerleading for the city, either. You develop relationships with neighbors, your church, family, social circles. You're given the choice between a stately brick Tudor on a leafy street or some postwar little shitbox in Livonia. If you can clean up blight and crime to simply tolerable levels, people often elect to stay. I see it all the time.

What's critical here, too, is that this isn't just hipsteriffic lofts and distilleries. This is targeting the vast majority of the city that has been neglected for about four decades.

The follow-through is the only issue. This has to be executed and then replicated throughout the city. Bing was infamous for press conferences about such projects that went nowhere. Let's home Mr. Duggan is different.

[DetroitPlanner]

It begs this question. What if the code violation process could be intensified - let's say adding 1000 inspectors, court personnel etc. to the effort, would that halt further blight growth and even reverse the process as free-wheeling speculative owner would fix up instead of neglecting in face of penalties and forfeiture? The savings in demolition and population loss could cover that cost.

Like parking enforcement, the one that department always worked well in the City of Detroit, it could pay for itself. And maybe go after the Moroun's.

I agree, however the City does not have the funds to pay for these inspectors. If they did, the problem would not have got as bad as it has. There is also the question of training these 1,000 people to do this when once the task is done, there would be little use for having 1,000 inspectors. There is not a huge pool of these folks who you can tap into with this skill set, making hiring them as contractors a questionable en devour. Chances are if you went the contractor route it would be squandered by those who know nothing about housing inspection. My dad was a construction inspector for Detroit for 30 years, even he hired a building inspector when he bought a new house. Yes he knows concrete, asphalt and steel, but he don't know electrical or plumbing. The point I am trying to make is just because someone is a professional inspector does not mean he is qualified.

If the City could afford this, it would probably put the manpower into police and fire.

[jt1]

I agree, however the City does not have the funds to pay for these inspectors. If they did, the problem would not have got as bad as it has. There is also the question of training these 1,000 people to do this when once the task is done, there would be little use for having 1,000 inspectors. There is not a huge pool of these folks who you can tap into with this skill set, making hiring them as contractors a questionable en devour. Chances are if you went the contractor route it would be squandered by those who know nothing about housing inspection. My dad was a construction inspector for Detroit for 30 years, even he hired a building inspector when he bought a new house. Yes he knows concrete, asphalt and steel, but he don't know electrical or plumbing. The point I am trying to make is just because someone is a professional inspector does not mean he is qualified.

If the City could afford this, it would probably put the manpower into police and fire.

Another big problem is finding enough people with the training and integrity to do the job. This job would be an easy position for someone to take a lot of kickbacks and look the other way.