Thursday, February 9, 2012
Guv'ment City putting final touches on vacant property registry
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 9:41 AM
In effort to improve enforcement of the City of Atlanta’s housing code ordinances, owners of vacant properties are now required to register with the city.Within the city limits of Atlanta, there are buildings and structures that are vacant and could pose a threat to the safety and security of citizens. Vacant buildings cause deterioration and instability in neighborhoods and may lead to hazards like fire, accidents, or other calamities. Now under City Ordinance 10-O-1457, the Office of Code Enforcement is addressing these concerns by providing guidelines for a new registry of vacant property.
Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd, whose district includes many vacant properties, and Atlanta Police Chief George Turner will release more details about the registry, which we hope will include fees and fines to give the measure some teeth, at a Monday press conference in southwest Atlanta.
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
so let me get this straight. structures that are abandoned and whose owners have let them go into disrepair are now going voluntarily register their buildings so the city can go after them?! you are kidding, right?
like
dislike
"structures that are abandoned and whose owners have let them go into disrepair are now going voluntarily register their buildings so the city can go after them?! you are kidding, right?"
there are probably penalties involved with non-registry
you can't penalize someone if they haven't done anything wrong. letting your house sit vacant and abandoned isn't a crime. except now it is, if you don't register it!
I say if you leave your house vacant for years and it is now a crack house or something similar then the city should take ownership of the property and level it to flat ground or allow someone who is interested in revitalize it to do so. It is just so depressing in some areas!
finally! this is the number one problem that is causing further deterioration in neighbourhoods south and neighbourhoods west of downtown— the worst one having problems with this is the bluff (english avenue). i can understand people who are poor and don't have the money to take care of their house, but this is about absentee landlords, who are wall street investors buying these properties hoping to sell them at a profit when the market goes back up or the neighbourhood goes up. they're perpetuating the problems in these neighbourhoods by making their property a den for criminals and drug dealers who squat in these homes.
This is long overdue and should be implemented by all local governments. Vacant Registry is under valued and can really make a positive impact on communities.
This is a great thing and really long overdue. Vacant property registries can help improve the overall value of any community. All local governments should pass a vacant property ordinance and require responsible parties to register their properties. Kudos to the City of Atlanta.
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Time and Place: Read between the lines
To me this photo is about doing your own thing and following your own path in life.
-
Vernon Jones wants to return to the Gold Dome and other interesting qualification tidbits 1
Qualifying period ends, dust settles, campaigns begin
-
Suspects in Pittsburgh gay bashing slated to go to trial Tuesday
The men accused of beating Brandon White in Southwest Atlanta already headed to court
- More »
More by Author
-
GSU to purchase Atlanta Life, Integral Group headquarters in downtown? 3
School to ask state Board of Regents for OK next week
-
Anti-union bill would ban protesting at CEOs' homes, slap picketers with $1,000 fine 22
And make sit-ins a felony?
- More »
