16 Responses to “another house demolished”

1. posted by ann at August 17, 2006 3:20 pm :
   

   A big hole in that block of Mosby! I have heard - and must state this is only something I have heard - that Genesis Properties has purchased Jefferson Townhomes; and that some of them will be upgraded and some will be replaced. Perhaps there will come some confirmation of this rumour?

2. posted by pickle at August 17, 2006 3:43 pm :
   

   I’ve heard this as well, from a source that I trust.

   And I will state that Genesis Properties are generally slum lords.

3. posted by ann at August 17, 2006 4:34 pm :
   

   I’ve heard the same thing about Genesis…this should be a wakeup-call for the Union Hill Civic Association to make a push for city historic designation!

4. posted by Laura at August 18, 2006 7:05 pm :
   

   Demolision of properties is not good for the community, even if the property is “crappy.” Unfortunately, our city’s administration and the land rights laws that govern VA make it very difficult to stop this from happening. In a city-designated historic district, this property would not be allowed to be demolished because of neglect, however, it could be demolished for safety reasons - something CAR has no say over. So I agree with Ann, a historic district would help here.

   Having moved here from Minneapolis, I am appalled that Richmond lets itself and private property go into such disrepair. In Mpls, the city would confiscate these kinds of properties after numerous violations went unnoticed. The property would then be sold to a private citizen for $1. That’s right, a $1.

   They also required landlords to be licensed, meaning that if a slumlord didn’t comply with safetly and building codes, after a certain number of fines, would be put out of business and not allowed to be licensed again.

   To say the least, Minneapolis is a much better city for it - not to say it doesn’t have it’s problems, but still…wouldn’t it be nice if we could do this in Richmond?

5. posted by Bob at August 18, 2006 8:48 pm :
   

   As far as the reliable sources on the Jefferson townhome ownership, a quick check of the Genesis website reveals they are at least managing the property where a 3br rents for $500! This development sits on some of the most theoretically desirable land in the entire city. Not sure if this was a HUD tax credit low income development (looks like one), but these credit programs are starting to expire around the country (much to the chagrin of low income housing advocates). Genesis seems to manage a wide variety of property types, from newly renovated downtown apartments to a few of these low income developments. So, not sure they have the size or resources to make any large scale change in this development, but, I’m crossing my fingers they find a partner or two with deep pockets.

6. posted by J at August 19, 2006 12:31 am :
   

   Well, poor residents need places to live too. You can’t fault Genesis for providing cheap housing. Hopefully any new developments will include a mix of high- and low-income housing. And by the way, just because something is old, doesn’t make it historic. Homes that were crappy 100 years ago are still crappy when they are restored to their original state.

7. posted by John at August 19, 2006 10:49 pm :
   

   803 Mosby was taken down, too.

8. posted by james at August 19, 2006 11:44 pm :
   

   im not sure sbout the age of those homes, but i think they were soem of the oldest around. Can anybody do the research?

9. posted by John at August 20, 2006 7:21 am :
   

   James - That had been my impression, too. A few doors down is a big and beautiful derelict brock house that has an amazing stature.

   The city site gives limited information, giving the build date as 1900. This is most likely incorrect, as that side of Venable St. was Henrico County until the early 1900s and so there is incomplete documentation at the city on many properties. If I had the time, I’d go check out the Hill Books and see what they say.

10. posted by mary anne at August 21, 2006 6:28 pm :
    

    John - are you referring to 809 Mosby? ACORN has been fighting to save that property for YEARS, but b/c of clouded title, bankrupty, tax liens, it was extraordinarily difficult. It was purchased this year and there are plans to renovate. According to ACORN, it was built in 1840 and probably the oldest farm house in Union Hill.

11. posted by ann at August 23, 2006 7:39 am :
    

    …and as for the year 1900 showing up on ever so many properties in the city data base, I’ve been told that’s a default date the city uses when it has no idea how old the building is. Sometimes the ‘1900′ might be correct, but it’s even applied to my house which dates to 1850!

12. posted by PrinceofUnionHill at August 23, 2006 1:28 pm :
    

    To have the date your house was built corrected in the City records and on the City website- you can fax your corrections to Stephanie Jackson who is the assessor for our neighborhood @646-5686. It would help to include some documentation, or the source of your information. She was very helpful a few minutes ago when I spoke with her.

13. posted by Conover Hunt at August 31, 2006 10:10 am :
    

    Historic Richmond Foundation owns easements on quite a few properties north of Broad in Church Hill.

    We are preparing our list to put on line, but would appreciate knowning of any planned demolitions during the interim so that we can see if we have covenants that we can exercise against demolition.

    We only have an easement on 809 Mosby, and have been tracking its future carefully. It is hardly a crappy little house!

    Conover

14. posted by John at August 31, 2006 10:14 am :
    

    I should’ve been more clear in my intro, I think. AT FIRST GLANCE, some of these may appear to be merely crappy little houses… I love them all. My heart goes out especially to the frame houses that have made it this far.

    How would one go about finding out about planned demolitions? All I know to do is watch for the cut powerlines…

15. posted by ann at August 31, 2006 10:33 am :
    

    I have heard (again, another rumor) that the city has demolished houses for which ACORN has had buyers lined up. Can someone at ACORN confirm or deny this? So, Richmond has lost not only houses, regardless of condition, but prospective resident taxpayers. That’s not just bad business on the city’s part, it’s stupid.

16. posted by mary anne at September 1, 2006 7:38 pm :
    

    there is a list of planned demolitions, that you can request from the city - if they won’t give it to you, mention the freedom of information act(FOIA). there are apparently 400 properties listed(kind of a quota) that are scheduled for demolition. we need to push the city to hold off on demolition(which can apparently cost around 10K) and board up these places, so that the property owners can be found, or preservation groups such as ACORN can negotiate with owners and find buyers willing to restore/renovate these abandoned, blighted bulidings. that would generate tax revenue for the city, and the number of vacant lots we see on every street would instead have an occupied dwelling. it is a no-brainer, as far as i’m concerned. the city doesn’t seem to value these old buildings - it appears that they would rather tear them down than trust that there are people out there who want to buy and renovate them. very sad. we taxpayers are paying for the demolitions, i might add. you might want to ask the city about this! i’d love ot hear their response.

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