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Flipped home ends chronic nuisance

Fri., Sept. 9, 2016

So-called nuisance properties present a thorny issue. Neighbors want them shut down and cleaned up, but government must respect property rights and build a case if criminal activity is suspected.

Spokane has about 1,400 abandoned properties. Most are dilapidated structures in serious need of care. Along with being eyesores, they can be safety hazards. Other properties are home to criminal activity or general mayhem that disrupt neighborhoods.

When pressed, most owners respond and address the problems. But if problems persist, the city can step in and bring about a positive resolution.

That’s what happened last year on West College Avenue, according to an article in Tuesday’s Spokesman-Review.

The city ordered a two-story drug house boarded up after declaring it a nuisance. Police were called to the house 276 times in a 38-month period, ending March 17, 2015. The owner was arrested.

However, the house remained an eyesore, with trash strewn about the yard. It eventually became rat-infested.

In May, a new owner moved into the house after it went through an extreme makeover, all thanks to collaboration between the city and a real estate lending investment company from Coeur d’Alene called Cogo Capital.

“It worked beautifully,” said Rob Crow, senior manager with the city’s department of Community, Housing and Human Services.

He hopes the city can get the word out and use this last-resort tool more often.

Cogo bought the house for $25,000, but the previous owner owed the city about the same amount for costs incurred from boarding it up multiple times. The city forgave most of the debt, and transferred $10,000 from the sale to the previous owner to help her start over.

Cogo, for its part, agreed to bring the house up to standards needed to qualify for a Federal Housing Administration loan. The house’s exterior and interior were rehabilitated, with new paint, cabinets, countertops and fixtures. It looks sharp.

Retiree John Welch, who came from Whidbey Island to be close to family, purchased the house. He’s happy, and so are the neighbors.

“It’s been more peaceful, calm, not having that crowd here,” said neighbor Alex Rehberg, referring to the steady stream of people who came and went, getting into fights and causing other headaches.

The city has boarded up 10 houses since 2013.

The City Council passed an ordinance in June making it easier to declare properties a chronic nuisance, with the hope that neighborhoods disrupted by suspected criminal activity or blighted by abandoned homes could get relief more quickly.

The West College Avenue story shows that creative partnerships with the private sector can result in a positive outcome for sellers, buyers, neighbors and the city.

It’s a welcomed example of good government.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on “Opinion.”