NAACP president calls for Baltimore city leaders to resign (North Beach: real estate, foreclosed)

[NJ2MDdude]

It appears the city hasn't learning any lesson from the deaths of 3 Baltimore firemen who were killed in a vacant rowhome fire/building collapse in 2022.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-a4XZUkwE

[NJ2MDdude]

Another vacant rowhome fire in Baltimore today. Three Baltimore firemen injured. Same ole story...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjSSnx_yEfE


Update: One firemen killed and four injured.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrKESB6rwFg

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

It appears the city hasn't learning any lesson from the deaths of 3 Baltimore firemen who were killed in a vacant rowhome fire/building collapse in 2022.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-a4XZUkwE

I have to ask what "lessons"?

St. Mary's County had a volunteer firefighter (although he was a career FF aboard PAX) killed in a building collapse earlier this year.

[NJ2MDdude]

There are more than 14,000 vacant rowhomes in Baltimore that the city should have demolished decades ago. But the city would much rather auction the homes to investors who do nothing with the properties.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

There are more than 14,000 vacant rowhomes in Baltimore that the city should have demolished decades ago. But the city would much rather auction the homes to investors who do nothing with the properties.

The thing is, demolishing a building is expensive so a government has to pick its spots. Most local governments don't want to be in the real estate business, that's why they auction the tax foreclosed properties. That also puts the cost of remediation on the buyer. But when they start demoing the buildings people start protesting.

Now, if you say that the City Council should put requirements, like rehabbing or demolition, on the buyers I'll agree with you. Or the new owners can start being cited for property maintenance violations which, if followed through on, starts costing them money.

[NJ2MDdude]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

The thing is, demolishing a building is expensive so a government has to pick its spots. Most local governments don't want to be in the real estate business, that's why they auction the tax foreclosed properties. That also puts the cost of remediation on the buyer. But when they start demoing the buildings people start protesting.

Now, if you say that the City Council should put requirements, like rehabbing or demolition, on the buyers I'll agree with you. Or the new owners can start being cited for property maintenance violations which, if followed through on, starts costing them money.

I believe the city does impose requirements as well as access fines on would be developers but, for the most part, doesn't enforce the rules. Heck, the NAACP complained to no avail about the vacant rowhome next door.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

I believe the city does impose requirements as well as access fines on would be developers but, for the most part, doesn't enforce the rules. Heck, the NAACP complained to no avail about the vacant rowhome next door.

One of the problems stems from the citation system being able to be gamed.

The property owner gets a fix it citation and he pulls a permit to rehab that's good for six months.
He doesn't do anything for those six months so he pulls another permit.
He gets another citation and he pulls another permit.
We're now at a year with another six month window.
At the end of that third permit pull the case can be sent to Circuit Court, where it may not be on the docket for a year.
Judges hate to order people to demo a building so he gives the owner another year., so we're at what, three and a half years now.

We had a couple cases like that down here that dragged on for seven or eight years. In one case a stolen semi had gone through the building (a restaurant with a long, attached unused, and unusable connected building behind it) and a house that caught fire.

In the end the Judge finally ordered the owners to demo, which neither did, so the Town went back to Court and got an order that we could do it. We did and then backcharged the cost on the property tax bill.

We had another guy after TS Isabel along the waterfront whose house had the entire front ripped off. He dragged that out for two and a half years until his neighbors, who had all rebuilt or fixed their houses, started giving him ****.

[DubyaM]

In the fire today the flames seemed to be much more intense than in a "normal" row house fire. Meth lab? they are investigating.

[NJ2MDdude]

Demolish the vacant rowhomes and you'll see a reduction in drug dens, prostitution, squatting, entrenched vagrancy, rat infestation and garbage dumping. It also opens up the land for redevelopment. Apply for a federal grant.

Baltimore City councilwoman calls vacant homes a 'crisis'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Ms0jmORCg

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

Demolish the vacant rowhomes and you'll see a reduction in drug dens, prostitution, squatting, entrenched vagrancy, rat infestation and garbage dumping. It also opens up the land for redevelopment. Apply for a federal grant.

Baltimore City councilwoman calls vacant homes a 'crisis'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Ms0jmORCg

Redevelop them into what? The City has to fix other issues in order to attract development into those neighborhoods.

The Tech Hub designation may help long term.