Democracy In Albany

The problem of abandoned/vacant buildings in Albany has been an on-going problem for many years, and now it is running into decades. We need to stabilize the buildings, first, before any other action is taken. If the buildings on Alexander Street were stabilized, then perhaps the Lawtons would still have their home to live in, instead of the sad legacy of an empty lot to stare at.

The Jennings' administration has had 14 years to establish a policy on vacant/abandoned buildings. Thirteen years ago Jennings is quoted as saying, "I am planning an initiative..." to deal with the problem of abandonment. But, he has done nothing, meanwhile the number of problem buildings continues to rise. We can find money for the golf course, we can write state grant (RESTORE) applications for large developers, and we spend $5 million for land for a dump that will never be used for a dump, but we can't find the time to search for funds to help eradicate Albany's blight problem.

Mayor Jennings, thanks to pressure from the media and the embarassment of the Alexander Street issue, has announced that he is going to announce a vacant/abandoned building initiative in the near future. Let's hope this initiative does not have the same track record as Jennings' announcement of August, 1994, to clear away Albany's eyesores. That initiative led to more than 500 additional vacant/abandoned buildings being added to the vacant building registry since 1994!

Page: A1
Date: Thursday, August 25, 1994


JENNINGS TAKES AIM AT EYESORES MAYOR WANTS TO LEVEL ALBANY'S ABANDONED BUILDINGS TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT

SARAH METZGAR Staff writer

ALBANY Mayor Jerry Jennings wants to take a wrecking ball to the city's abandoned houses, hiring a contractor to demolish as many as 50 at a time.

``I'm planning an initiative to knock those buildings down and get them out of the picture, get them out of the neighborhoods so we can focus on rebuilding,'' Jennings said Wednesday. ``Some neighborhoods have had houses boarded up for five to 10 years.''

The move to rid the city of structural eyesores is Jennings' latest hit on an issue he pushed as an alderman and campaigned on last year when running for mayor reversing neighborhood deterioration and a get-tough policy on city slumlords.

Earlier this year Jennings announced city officials will begin a crackdown on rental properties known for chronic code violations with more stringent inspections. He has also vowed to strengthen code enforcement legislation with stiffer fines and other penalties as a tool to hold irresponsible landlords accountable.

Jennings said that a consultant, hired by the city to track properties for a reassessment project, has listed 410 vacant houses out of a total of 26,300 buildings. Workers from the city Engineering Department are taking a closer look at the buildings now, Jennings said, identifying which ones should be demolished and which should be rehabilitated.

``Be assured, not everything on that list is slated for demolition,'' said City Assessor Keith McDonald. The list of vacant buildings is an all-inclusive one, he said, including boarded-up eyesores and well-maintained houses that are for sale.

About 80 percent of the problem buildings, McDonald said, are in the neighborhoods of Arbor Hill, North Albany, the South End and West Hill.

``If it's a drug house that we've confiscated, I'll drive the bulldozer in myself,'' Jennings said.

In the past, it has cost the city about $10,000 apiece to demolish buildings. This year, city officials have budgeted $165,000 for demolitions, but Jennings' proposal could cost more than $1 million. Jennings says he hopes to cut costs by putting out a ``request for proposals'' to contractors, getting economies of scale by asking them to bid on large projects of 50 demolitions at a time.

The city can also recoup demolition costs by giving advance notice to property owners and tacking the demolition charge on their tax bills.

What city staffers haven't determined yet, however, is how many of the houses are already owned by Albany County, seized in foreclosures for back taxes. Jennings said he'll probably meet with county officials to resolve county-owned eyesores.

The project is in the early stages, Jennings said, but he hopes to start wrecking before the end of the year. Abandoned houses that aren't demolished will be rehabbed, he said.

One Arbor Hill activist advised caution. ``I hope it's part of a broader strategy,'' said Aaron Mair, chairman of Arbor Hill Concerned Citizens. ``We would have to hear what is going to be put in the vacant lots. If it's augmented with a policy to build immediately and give people a piece of the American dream, it's an outstanding proposal. But my only concern is having a South Bronx effect, where they bulldozed and created veritable wastelands. I hope that is not the intent for Arbor Hill.'' As the former 11th Ward Alderman, Jennings proposed a package of code changes that would sharply increase fines and jail sentences, hold both landlords and tenants responsible for violations, and give police the authority to take action on building-related violations. The bills, however, were buried in the Common Council's Housing Committee for several years. But with Jennings now in the mayor's office, he has said he hopes to revive them in some form.

This past January, for example, Jennings announced plans to coordinate the city's building inspection work with the county department of social services to encourage the department to cut off rent payments to penalize slumlords