Anti-Blight Bill Becomes Law

Excellent work Lemar and JRod! Sounds like this should help our communities who are struggling with foreclosures, absentee landlords and owners who just don't give a damn. As a new homeowner (just closed last month!) I appreciate your work on this!

Great work.

Thank you to all the alders. This law will help all of us who are committed to a great neighborhoods in New Haven. To see how physical condition maintenance contributes to a great neighborhood visit:
<a href="http://www.fallcreekconsultants.com/healthy_neighborhoods.php&quot; rel="nofollow">http://www.fallcreekconsultants.com/healthy_neighborhoods.php&lt;/a&gt;

Great idea. We need to take action, especially now, when things to turn sharply in a wrong direction. The old church on Q Ave. pictured has been empty and boarded up for at least 3 years now. That building and its waterfront backyard has such potential, and the owner should fix it up or give it up. Likewise to the abandoned condos down the street at Q Ave. and Hemingway, which have been an ugly welcome to our community for over a decade, maybe two! When a recent demo order was put in, the owner added a new roof to quell the demands. Without those deteriorating condo shells, residents could have a great view of the river. That area could be public space or a park, even.

Great Job to everyone!!!!!!! lets start cleaning up our communities!!!!!!!

So what's the penalty for infractions? Fines? If so, who do you think will pay for any charges HANH would rack up?

Now all we need is for the LCI neighborhood workers to do their jobs..... Also the neighborhood police officers can be more vigilant and report the trashed vacant buildings like the one at 86-88 Main St in the Annex. . . vacant, open and beginning to attract just what we don't want anywhere in the city. Will the state DOT be required to maintain their properties along the city street right of ways? Main St Annex, Oakley St Annex and many others overgrown and unkempt.

Great Job! Alderman Joe Rodriguez


Thank you for speak up for us, the community of Fair Haven, not only as a home owner, but also as a strong supporter to improve the quality of life in our great Fair Haven.


I just hope the LCI also "jump in " and work with us, (with actions) and deal with businesses with already a lot of "minor problems", and there are NOW a major problem, for our families healthy living and quality of life.



Thank you.

Why not link your story to a copy of the passed-Ordinance itself? This way people can read exactly what is says. Such a link benefits property owners and community residents, as well as those living in other towns and cities who may want to adopt a similar Ordinance.

Without reading the actual ordinance, I beleive that this will be a terrific tool for communities. I look forward to seeing it used and enforced.

Fedup, hopefully, if the leadership in HANH does not maintain its properties, the board will decide to change leadership.

Is there a way to find the text of the ordinance? I was searching the City's website but came up with nothing. Thanks.

According to the existing anti-blight policy, which reads in part:



Sec. 15-51. Anti-blight.
Declaration of Policy.

(a) Definitions. For the purpose of this section the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) Blighted premises shall mean any vacant or occupied building or structure, or any vacant part of a building or structure that is a separate unit, or a vacant parcel of land in which at least one (1) of the additional following conditions exist:
(i) It is determined by the building official or by health department reports that existing conditions pose a serious or immediate danger to the community, (i.e. a life-threatening condition, or a condition which poses a health or safety risk to the public).
(ii) It is not being maintained. The following factors may be considered in determining whether a structure or building is not being maintained: missing or boarded windows or doors; collapsing or missing walls, roof or floor; siding that is seriously damaged or missing; fire damages; a foundation that is structurally faulty; garbage; trash or abandoned cars situated on the premises (unless the premises is a junkyard legally licensed by the State of Connecticut); overgrown grass or weeds at least one (1) foot in length or front yards allowed to deteriorate into unattended bare, dirt patches.
(iii) It is becoming dilapidated as documented in the building division of the Livable City Initiative's housing code inspection reports.
(iv) It is attracting illegal activity as documented in police department reports.
(v) It is a fire hazard as determined by the fire marshal, or as documented in fire department reports.
(vi) It is a factor creating a substantial and unreasonable interference with the reasonable and lawful use and enjoyment of other space within the building, or of other premises within the neighborhood as documented by neighborhood complaints, or cancellation of insurance on proximate properties.


(b) Prohibition of creating or maintaining blighted premises. No owner, agent, tenant or person in control of real property situated within the City of New Haven shall cause or allow any premises to exist in a blighted condition. Violation of this provision shall result in a fine up to the maximum amount authorized by state statutes or this Code for each day that said violation continues.
(c) Unpaid fine to constitute lien. Pursuant to Conn. General Statutes section 7-148aa, as amended from time to time, any unpaid fine imposed pursuant to the anti-blight citation hearing procedure shall constitute a lien upon the real property against which the fine was imposed from the date of the fine. The lien shall be continued, recorded, released and enforced as provided for by said statute.


The question is.....
Why does the city need a NEW Anti-Blight policy, when the existing policy, as above, clearly has not been enforced.

If it had been enforced, the HANH and other slumlords would have long ago been in violation up to and including foreclosure.

As you will note the new policy has no more enforcement teeth than the existing toothless policy.

Give me a break... this is just more of the Lemar grandstanding highlights.

Knock it off Roland!!

Facchec

I like this statement,

"As you will note the new policy has no more enforcement teeth than the existing toothless policy"

I think if we worked together in a group with the community and police.And we don't stop calling to LCI they will have to enforce "the toothless" policy. even if we have to give them baby food to start with, just don't work alone and don't give up. SOMEONE HAS TO LISENT, , it may be a slow process but I really think it will work for the longer term, if we keep up.

Speaking as an "absentee" Landlord (even though we're in New Haven almost every day!) I'm really glad that this anti-blight Bill passed. Its good for our tenants and its good for us. We've had problems with vacant properties in our neighborhoods attracting drug users and/or prostitutes, even next door to a nice place we're trying to rent out. In the past, the city has been slow to act but hopefully this new law will encourage them to become much more active in getting vacant properties taken care of. I have only GREAT things to say about the police in Fair Haven; they did a terrific job this summer of shutting down the drug dealers. Now the people on porches are actually living there and not dealing and the people on bikes are kids out for a ride rather than lookouts for the dealers. Lets hope the city can keep this momentum up by getting negligent owners to take responsibility for their properties (like the rest of us).

The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one. This law does that. A big problem in New Haven is unbalanced taxation which scares off investment. The only way to balance this out is to demand that property owners throughout the city make an effort. If they can't keep up their properties, they should sell them an find a smaller property. As a heavy taxpayer seeing many fine properties neglected throughout the city I fully support this law.

570 howard ave fire trap i wonder who owns it

570 Howard Ave. owner (from Vision Appraisal) = <a href="http://www.hdcofnewhaven.org/board/index.html&quot; rel="nofollow">Hill Development Corporation</a>