The city is preparing to demolish 185 abandoned homes Saturday, the largest one-day total in its history in an intensifying effort to crack down on dangerous and vacant properties that often play host to blight and criminal activity.
"Demolition Day," which Mayor Annise Parker announced in her state of the city speech last month, is the culmination of months of effort by the Houston Police Department's Neighborhood Protection Corps to find owners and encourage them to take care of their properties.
"This is a time where we can show our constituents that we really care about blight removal in our communities," said Councilwoman Wanda Adams, who chairs the City Council's Neighborhood Protection Committee. "We are concerned about quality of life and public safety, and dangerous buildings do bring the quality of life and the property values in our communities. This is a positive step, but we have a long way to go."
Since 2005, the city has taken down 3,909 buildings that were ordered demolished after efforts to contact the owners and urge them to make repairs were unsuccessful.
Assistant Police Chief Mark Curran, who heads the neighborhood protection unit, said that thousands of similarly problematic properties remain.
Many of the homes or commercial sites the city demolishes every year have been abandoned when transfer of ownership is not properly carried out when an owner dies or disputes arise among survivors, he said.
"For people who live around there, it becomes an eyesore and an attraction for children or dope to be sold or even prostitution," Curran said. "The citizens of Houston don't want to live next to these structures. Property owners have a responsibility to keep their property up so it doesn't get to this."
After Saturday, the city is expected to set a record for the most demolitions carried out in one year.
Of the total, 103 demolitions were donated by the Houston Contractors Association for a savings of more than $350,000. The other demolitions, which may have asbestos contamination or are structurally unsound, will be carried out by city contractors, Curran said.
Jeffrey Nielson, executive vice president at the Houston Contractors Association, said the donation was an important way for his organization to give back to the city, one of the primary municipalities through which its members receive contracts.
"This is something for us that is actually quite fun," he said. "You go out, you tear down these eyesores, dangerous buildings and we're giving back to the people that employ us and to the residents of the city."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
