Column by Norma Higgs — More on the Niagara Falls Block Club Council Crime Prevention Retreat and this week more housing questions are the topic as we are all familiar with the “broken window theory” which eventually leads to criminal activity.

On the housing issues, block club stated they had reported two neglected properties which were handled by the city’s ZOOM team but they are back to original condition. The code enforcement director said if they are housing violations call his department 286-4450 as housing inspections are done on a daily basis and not just on ZOOM days.

The In Rem sales are always a popular subject at block club meetings.  Most residents feel the amount of money the city makes does not offset the damage it does to the neighborhood. Many of these properties are not in any condition to sell and the new owner simply walks away when (and if) he comes to see the interior of what he has purchased. Condemned and In Rem signs are open signs of vacancy and invitations for metal thieves to strip the house of any and all saleable items to the local junk dealers. The deterioration of neighborhoods began in the late 1980s when property taxes went uncollected for any number of reasons. On my own street, there is a house that has been sold four or five times (usually every two years) and only one purchaser tried to do any repairs. The others opened the door and walked awry from it. Why not? They only paid from $8,000 to $13,000 for a multi-family dwelling and found it had serious water damage inside. The early purchasers were from Toronto and property values are very high there and they probably thought they died and went to heaven.

Corporation Counsel Craig Johnson said the law requires a certain amount of time for In Rem sales and all qualifying property is placed on the list. The director of code enforcement will take the necessary steps to get the property on the demolition list if it is deemed inhabitable. Dennis Virtuoso stated he pulled 35 off the last In Rem list and these are on the demolition list. His department is trying to be more proactive about not selling uninhabitable/ deteriorated housing at auction. The goal of the auction is to sell property to individuals willing and able to put money into repairs, etc. Johnson added that the 2011 In Rem sale had 1,000 parcels on the list; the final number of properties offered at auction was 420 and sold for $1.2 million in total.

Responding to tenant damage, District Attorney Michael Violante advised taking the matter to the court of proper jurisdiction and let the judge decide the monetary issues. If and when prosecuted, there is an effort to collect restitution. However, the source of the problem is that the individuals who get into these situations generally do not have the money to pay. Tenants should be carefully screened to determine past practice, etc. prior to rental.

Land banking was brought up as it was signed into law last July 2011 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a bi-partisan issue. “How will this impact our neighborhoods, what is it and what area will be first.” Mayor Paul Dyster responded that “the city of Niagara Falls was a strong advocate for the strongest possible bill. Bad news is the bill got watered down in order to get it passed and it is complicated and only allows for ten land banks in New York state. We will not know what the competition is until March and if it looks like Niagara Falls is one of the “smaller fish in the pond’, we will look to collaborate in a partnership. A new organization (not-for profit) must be formed and the burden is on the City to demonstrate how to administer the land bank”. The State will select five of the ten allowed in the first round.

I found some further information online that described land banks as entities that take control of problem properties and either rehabilitate the property or bulldoze it to redevelop the land. The strategy has met with success in some of the nation's inner cities that have been ravaged by the foreclosure crisis, such as Detroit and Cleveland. Land banks have assembled parcels for green space, urban farming, side lots, community amenities, commercial development and affordable housing, among other uses. New York’s law will allow cities and counties across the state the ability to develop land banks (only ten allowed in Legislation) , which would be tasked with converting vacant, abandoned or tax-delinquent properties into productive use. “Land Banking gives local governments the chance to help re-set the real estate market and promote sound development plans for the future” said Center for Community Progress President Dan Kildee, who helped craft the bill.

This has taken longer than I expected but I hope you are reading and have learned about day-to-day activities that block clubs are involved in. Our mission is a “clean and safe city” and we all work very hard to learn about our neighborhood. We know who is there, the housing and crime situation; we watch new legislation both local and statewide that affects our lives. We have built strong relationships with those in control who appreciate our interest, our help and our ideas. And, we are not afraid to offer them. Call me if your neighborhood needs a block club and you are willing to help. 282-3599.

Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Mondays in the Gazette.