Run Down complexes all over Houston

[rps324]

There is an article in today's Chronicle about these run down complexes.

Link

[The Great Hizzy!]

Part of the problem is that the rents at some of these places are super-cheap, relatively speaking, so there's even less incentive for the management to spend money to keep the complexes up to code. The complexes would probably need to raise rents to be able to spend enough to keep the older complexes up to code but then that would negatively impact the budgets of many of the people who would live at these complexes in the first place.

[dbigtex56]

Excellent topic.

Further, why are abandoned buildings and overgrown vacant lots allowed to flourish in Houston? And why are tax delinquent properties not put up for auction in a timely fashion?

[rps324]

Excellent topic.

Further, why are abandoned buildings and overgrown vacant lots allowed to flourish in Houston? And why are tax delinquent properties not put up for auction in a timely fashion?

From your lips to God's ear.

For a long time recently we (Glenbrook area) didn't even have a neighborhood protection officer to do enforcements. They have one hired now thank goodness.

I have found it really takes calling in 311, keeping track of the case number they give you, and then calling back.

I called on this little jewel on Bellfort, raising cane with James Rodriguez's office. They did get the graffiti painted over finally, but neighborhood protection told me, "oh yeah, we got a lot of complaints on that one but we show the case closed..."

Oh yeah, nevermind, it looks fine.

The real culprits are the condo complexes. There is one on Leonora that is owned by an ex-Houston Oiler that is a total wreck.

as for condos though, we all know which ones top my list

[musicman]

Excellent topic.

Further, why are abandoned buildings and overgrown vacant lots allowed to flourish in Houston? And why are tax delinquent properties not put up for auction in a timely fashion?

you should've heard the things they were yelling at the Mayor during the Art Car Parade.

the building at leonora and bellfort used to be so nice.....leonora has had problems for 30 yrs at least but they had always stayed off of bellfort. now, not so much.

[cottonmather0]

Part of the problem is that the rents at some of these places are super-cheap, relatively speaking, so there's even less incentive for the management to spend money to keep the complexes up to code. The complexes would probably need to raise rents to be able to spend enough to keep the older complexes up to code but then that would negatively impact the budgets of many of the people who would live at these complexes in the first place.

This is true.

But I also think it's helpful to keep in mind that there will always be rundown houses and apartments and they will never completely go away because they serve a need to the people who live there, namely, they're a place that poor people can afford to rent and live in. I'm not saying that health or building code violations should be ignored, but a vast majority of these places are in compliance even if they're ugly and in need or paint or repairs or otherwise "rundown," and as much of an eyesore as they may be, they're an integral part of the urban fabric. There will always be poor people and they will always need a place to live.

Now I'm done channeling Dickens. (or the anti-Dickens, probably more accurately)

[The Great Hizzy!]

In the COH's defense, the percentage of abandoned buildings here seems to be less than a lot of other big cities. The more visible problem is that Houston's tend to be more randomly distributed where as they're more concentrated in other places like Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Cincinnati, Boston, etc.