Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
>From: "steven meldahl" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Constance Nompelis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "MPLS Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >CC: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses >Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 18:59:33 -0600 > >The sad thing about the houses torn down was that I had and other rehabbers >had the money to immediately start any rehab projects as far back as 5 years >ago. I used to do on average 10 total rehabs a year from 1974 through 1996. >Most of these were government owned (FHA or VA) or bank repos. > >Since 1997, I have been able to find only 3 to do. Unfortunately, the >previous City Hall people would not let us get are hands on any of the MCDA >properties. They also took all of the County owned tax forfeiture >properties that we used to be able to buy at auction. Most ended up being >torn down - just a total waste! By rough count, you re-habbed 230 properties between 1974-1996. How many of those properties did you purchse fromeither the County or MCDA? > >Let me give you a quick example. I bought a duplex on the North side for >$5.000 that needed a code compliance (total rehab and bring up to new >building code) in 1998. The City said no, they wanted it torn down. At the >249 hearing, I presented a 9 page detailed bid on the total cost to rehab >the duplex for $49,000 (I have my own crew). The City rep presented an >estimate that was written on 2 napkins (I am not kidding) for $140,000 with >no breakdown at all, just some general estimates. The City committee >(chaired by Mr. teardown himself - Joe Biernat) voted for demo. Their >reason was that in their opinion there was no way I could do it that cheap. >It did not matter that I had done over 250 total rehabs in my career in >Mpls. Had you actually purchsed the property, or submited a bid on it? It seems rather odd to me, as the fair market value (in Jordan on a 1-bedroom duplex (in 1998)) was roughly $175,000. If you could purchase and rehab it for 1/3 value, what was the city's specific objection? If it was simply a matter of code compliance and the city decided to tear it down, it was in fact a error of the city's part. Were there other circumstances? > >I decided to fight the City in Court. After over $70,000 in attorney fees >and an appellate court ruling against me, I decided not to fight any more. >The City attorney privately agreed to help stop the wholesale destruction of >perfectly good buildings, and the City's rate of teardowns dropped by over >80%. So all in all, I had accomplished alot! The new City Council has also >basically stopped the 249 process (ie teardown) so this stupidity will not >happen again, at least in the forseeable future. > >Steve Meldahl >Jordan (work) An honest question - where do you live? The reason I ask - I am a licensed general contractor and the majority of my work is in fact for ward 3 residents (I live there). The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*. ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
I agree that it is a shame to tear down some boarded houses. The Housing Committee of the Whittier Alliance saved several houses from being torn down and rehabbed them with NRP and other subsidy funding sources. What I learned from my experience with the Committee was how priceless some of the interior and exterior materials in these houses have become. The quality and type of woodwork, fixtures, and other amenities could never be duplicated today. Heck---some types of wood no longer exist on this earth! I know what it is like to have a boarded building on a block. However, sometimes patience is necessary to see a good end result. For instance, there is a large Victorian style home on 3rd Av S near Franklin. It sat empty and boarded for at least 10 years before it was finally purchased, rehabbed, and sold for home ownership. The only reason it was not demolished was because it is located in the Washburn Fair Oaks Historic District. The upturn in the housing market finally made it finacially feasible to do the rehab (however, some neighborhood subsidy funding was needed). The MCDA will not do anything with these houses---they don't have money to subsidize the rehab (if now necessary). Contact your neighborhood association and ask if they have a housing committee. Then contact the chair and/or attend a meeting and ask if they have access to rehab funds or have contacts with developers willing to do such projects. The MCDA is very strict and "fussy" about who does the rehab. They want to see a developer with a successful track record and the funding to accomplish the task. I know the MCDA and neighborhoods have been burned in the past by good intentioned individuals who purchase a property but fail to carry through on the rehab (usually financial reasons). Rehab can be done given enough resources committed to seeing the project through. Good luck. Terry Erickson Whittier ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
The sad thing about the houses torn down was that I had and other rehabbers had the money to immediately start any rehab projects as far back as 5 years ago. I used to do on average 10 total rehabs a year from 1974 through 1996. Most of these were government owned (FHA or VA) or bank repos. Since 1997, I have been able to find only 3 to do. Unfortunately, the previous City Hall people would not let us get are hands on any of the MCDA properties. They also took all of the County owned tax forfeiture properties that we used to be able to buy at auction. Most ended up being torn down - just a total waste! Let me give you a quick example. I bought a duplex on the North side for $5.000 that needed a code compliance (total rehab and bring up to new building code) in 1998. The City said no, they wanted it torn down. At the 249 hearing, I presented a 9 page detailed bid on the total cost to rehab the duplex for $49,000 (I have my own crew). The City rep presented an estimate that was written on 2 napkins (I am not kidding) for $140,000 with no breakdown at all, just some general estimates. The City committee (chaired by Mr. teardown himself - Joe Biernat) voted for demo. Their reason was that in their opinion there was no way I could do it that cheap. It did not matter that I had done over 250 total rehabs in my career in Mpls. I decided to fight the City in Court. After over $70,000 in attorney fees and an appellate court ruling against me, I decided not to fight any more. The City attorney privately agreed to help stop the wholesale destruction of perfectly good buildings, and the City's rate of teardowns dropped by over 80%. So all in all, I had accomplished alot! The new City Council has also basically stopped the 249 process (ie teardown) so this stupidity will not happen again, at least in the forseeable future. Steve Meldahl Jordan (work) - Original Message - From: "Constance Nompelis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "steven meldahl" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "MPLS Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 5:01 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses > Steve Meldahl is right that most of these boarded > homes are privately owned, and in my experience they > are very difficult to get information on. > > As a young, poor college student looking for a house > in Minneapolis three years ago, I was extremely > interested in this glut of boarded and (seemingly) > abandoned houses. Many of them have lovely victorian > characteristics that you don't find in newer > buildings. Unfortunately for me, I could never reach > the owners of the houses I looked at. You can find a > name on the Hennepin County website, but if the > address listed happens to be that of the vacant > building, you're usually out of luck. > > As for the homes owned by the city, they are almost > equally as difficult to obtain. I submitted an > application to purchase a house on 24th and Chicago, > and subsequently went through a six-month nightmare of > red-tape and horrendous customer service before being > denied because my rehab plan was not detailed enough. > > Finally, the question of how these buildings impact > the neighborhood was posed. Let me tell you: When I > moved into my home, there were 4 boarded buildings on > the block. (Plus 4 vacant lots.) It has been a > terrible burden on those who live here, because these > houses attract prostitutes and drug dealers, not to > mention litter and vandalism, and they keep the > property values of neighboring houses down. > Additionally, I personally feel that there is a sense > of community depression that comes from being > surrounded by these properties. > > Three of the four boarded houses on my block have now > been demolished. What an awesome feeling it is to > watch a turn-of-the-century home reduced to toothpicks > for want of a restoration-minded owner. It's terribly > sad, and in my opinion, wrong. I toured one of these > buildings a couple years ago, (MCDA was kind enough to > open it for at 9AM on a weekday morning for one > hour...) and it had a lot of potential. I wished I'd > had the $ to save it. (And MCDA connections, which > seem sadly necessary.) > > What a shame... > > Connie Nompelis > Ventura Village > Sliced out of Ward 6 by virtue of being CM > Zimmermann's neighbor - soon to embrace Ward 9 > > __ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. > http://mailplus.yahoo.com > ___ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL
Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
What I find so very interesting is that some members of the city council are so 'desperate' to get 'affordable' housing that they want to decrease the size of build lots currently in the MCDA inventory. They have already pass a change to increase the number of units allowed on currently buildable lots. At least one of the council members feels that 'density' is good, especially in the poorer neighborhoods. Well, why don't they do something with these houses, most of which appear to be on build lots under the current definition. Some of these buildings are multiple dwellings. Come on, guys, let's get going. Anne McCandless Jordan - Original Message - From: "Chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "MPLS Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 6:25 AM Subject: [Mpls] Boarded Houses > I found this list to be amazing. What is the plan for all these > houses? What area of city government is responsible to maintain these > properties. I noticed some have been boarded for more than 8 years! > What prevents the city from either tearing these down or selling them to > organizations that will rehab. I am lucky that very few are in my ward > as the bulk seem to be in S Mpls. What is the impact of these boarded > properties to the surrounding homes? > Gene Swanson > Lind-Bohanon > > ___ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
Steve Meldahl is right that most of these boarded homes are privately owned, and in my experience they are very difficult to get information on. As a young, poor college student looking for a house in Minneapolis three years ago, I was extremely interested in this glut of boarded and (seemingly) abandoned houses. Many of them have lovely victorian characteristics that you don't find in newer buildings. Unfortunately for me, I could never reach the owners of the houses I looked at. You can find a name on the Hennepin County website, but if the address listed happens to be that of the vacant building, you're usually out of luck. As for the homes owned by the city, they are almost equally as difficult to obtain. I submitted an application to purchase a house on 24th and Chicago, and subsequently went through a six-month nightmare of red-tape and horrendous customer service before being denied because my rehab plan was not detailed enough. Finally, the question of how these buildings impact the neighborhood was posed. Let me tell you: When I moved into my home, there were 4 boarded buildings on the block. (Plus 4 vacant lots.) It has been a terrible burden on those who live here, because these houses attract prostitutes and drug dealers, not to mention litter and vandalism, and they keep the property values of neighboring houses down. Additionally, I personally feel that there is a sense of community depression that comes from being surrounded by these properties. Three of the four boarded houses on my block have now been demolished. What an awesome feeling it is to watch a turn-of-the-century home reduced to toothpicks for want of a restoration-minded owner. It's terribly sad, and in my opinion, wrong. I toured one of these buildings a couple years ago, (MCDA was kind enough to open it for at 9AM on a weekday morning for one hour...) and it had a lot of potential. I wished I'd had the $ to save it. (And MCDA connections, which seem sadly necessary.) What a shame... Connie Nompelis Ventura Village Sliced out of Ward 6 by virtue of being CM Zimmermann's neighbor - soon to embrace Ward 9 __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Boarded Houses
Unfortunately, most of these are in private hands. I met with Steve Kramer who heads the County's Boarded Building task force 3 weeks ago to give my insight and offer my advice. Unfortunately the City and County only own 20 of the 155 boarded buildings, most are privately owned and were probably foreclosed on. The ones foreclosed on are mostly held by out of state banks. These are the ones that the City should use their 249 ordinance to either force these banks to sell or take them over and rehab, which under the ordinance and State Law they can do. But currently, as long as the owner pays an annual $400 boarded building fee, they will just sit there. Steve Meldahl - still looking for access to rehab buildings! (Jordan) work - Original Message - From: "Chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "MPLS Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 6:25 AM Subject: [Mpls] Boarded Houses > I found this list to be amazing. What is the plan for all these > houses? What area of city government is responsible to maintain these > properties. I noticed some have been boarded for more than 8 years! > What prevents the city from either tearing these down or selling them to > organizations that will rehab. I am lucky that very few are in my ward > as the bulk seem to be in S Mpls. What is the impact of these boarded > properties to the surrounding homes? > Gene Swanson > Lind-Bohanon > > ___ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Boarded Houses
I found this list to be amazing. What is the plan for all these houses? What area of city government is responsible to maintain these properties. I noticed some have been boarded for more than 8 years! What prevents the city from either tearing these down or selling them to organizations that will rehab. I am lucky that very few are in my ward as the bulk seem to be in S Mpls. What is the impact of these boarded properties to the surrounding homes? Gene Swanson Lind-Bohanon ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
