Terrell Brown says: I think there is often a difference between a code violation and unsafe conditions. Take Dyna's peeling paint. Now I haven't personally inspected Dyna's peeling paint, but I have seen peeling paint that isn't really a hazard. Peeling paint may not be pleasing to the eyes and it may make it difficult to obtain property insurance but it isn't necessarily a hazard. CM Zerby was on the tube talking about "over occupancy". I'm not convinced that an extra "U" student or 2 necessarily creates a hazard and likely isn't "slum conditions". Are we going to apply the same standards to recent immigrants that Zerby seems to want to apply to students at the "U"? Was this particular property cited for violations? We've read of how many violations the property owner had, why do we read that but not what properties were cited? We certainly want housing to be safe. I'm curious as to why ATF showed up at the fire, was there something suspicious as the newspaper article didn't say that arson was suspected although it sounds like the fire spread very rapidly. Perhaps because of the loss of life, CM Zerby engaged his mouth before he engaged his brain.There seem to be a whole lot of missing pieces here, we need to fill some of them in before we start changing our housing policies.
Peter Schmitz responds: Great post, Terrell!!! You've brought up a lot of good points. I'm not sure that I see over occupancy as the problem myself. We Americans are used to living in more space, given our relative affluence compared with the rest of the world. Immigrants, especially those from impoverished regions, are used to living in conditions that others may consider crowded. Also, the wildly vacillating housing market has forced landlords to allow more occupants per unit. This is especially true for landlords who bought their buildings at a higher price in the late nineties, thinking that the market was going to favor landlords for a long time to come. Then, in no time at all, vacancy rates soared and it became a renter's market, sort of that is. On account of the additional burden of higher property taxes, the landlords I know cannot reduce their rent. The only thing they can do is allow more renters to share a unit. As for peeling paint, it does have a negative ripple effect for neighbors struggling to maintain and increase the property values of their own homes. Still, I suspect codes and regulations are enforced unevenly. I've heard too many stories about people getting a citation after making waves at their neighborhood block club meeting. And if Dyna's relationship with the current guard at City Hall has been a stormy one, then it wouldn't surprise me if she's the victim of retaliation, as much as peeling paint on the outside of people's homes annoys me. When I was doing some canvassing last year in the Longfellow neighborhood I noticed a lot of homes that were in bad shape. Not only did I see peeling paint, but sinking front porches and rotting windows as well. But given what the economy is I can understand that home improvements may not be the top priority for working-class families that are struggling to make ends meet. There are certainly lot of serious problems to be addressed in regard to housing property, but no easy solutions given our rotten economy and the flimsy safety net that our local, state and federal governments provide.----Peter Schmitz CARAG REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
