PLAGUED WITH VACANT PROPERTY, DC NEIGHBORHOOD TAKES ACTION

Contact: Si Kailian
(202) 256-9193 / niello8@yahoo.com

May 25, 2007 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, a neighborhood group in the heart of the District, released the results of a survey targeted at addressing poorly maintained and under-taxed vacant properties in a concentrated area straddling Wards 2 and 6.

• The survey, coordinated by Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association (MVSNA) Vice President Si Kailian, made the following startling findings:
• There are 100 vacant properties, including 71 vacant buildings and 29 vacant lots, in the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood, a concentrated area bounded by New York Avenue NW on the south and N Street to the North between First and Seventh Streets NW.
• It appears that nearly 2/3 of the properties (61) are being taxed at the wrong rate. Many are taxed at the rate for occupied or permitted structures (0.88%), rather than the higher "Class 3" vacant property rate (5%), depriving the District government of thousands in revenue and placing no incentive on owners to rent, develop, or sell their vacant properties.
• Numerous surveyed vacant homes are falling apart and many vacant lots are overgrown or unsecured. DC law requires vacant properties to be in habitable condition and lots to be properly maintained.
• The DC government itself and affiliated programs own several vacant properties and are equal offenders. For example, the Home Again Program has delayed a particular project on 4th Street for 2 years.

Si Kailian, in a letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Councilmembers, and other government officials, has noted the effect of these properties, many of which have sat vacant for years without paying their fair share of taxes. "The high concentration of vacant property has placed the historic fabric of the neighborhood at risk. Vacant property, especially when concentrated in a small area, is a magnet for vagrants, drug activity, illegal dumping, prostitution and other crime. The ‘broken windows’ syndrome is a reality here as any neighbor will tell you."

In recent months, MVSNA has worked in cooperation with MPD Master Patrol Officer Tommy Barnes to focus on blocks with high concentrations of vacant properties to get action by owners and the DC government as part of MPD’s "Partnership for Problem Solving." MVSNA has also walked the area with Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) inspectors, Neighborhood Service Coordinators, police officers, and dedicated residents.

"The area has lost at least 5 houses in recent years due to demolition by neglect, termites, and careless excavation including 2 that collapsed," said Kailian. "Many others are threatened by these same issues."

MVSNA President Cary Silverman commented, "We applaud recent efforts by DCRA to work with the community the address these issues," expressing his appreciation of DCRA officials such as Allen Smith, Gil Davidson, and Phillip Miller who have met with residents in recent months and begun the process of addressing this long overlooked issue. "This is an issue of safety, of fairness, and of revitalization – it’s a situation that has kept our neighborhood down for far too long."

MVSNA calls upon the DC government to:

• Enact the "Nuisance Properties Abatement Reform and Real Property Classification Amendment Act of 2007", Bill 17-0086, which makes DCRA directly responsible for inspecting and tagging properties as Class 3 vacant, improve coordination with the Office of Tax and Revenue, and to compel owners to maintain their vacant property in habitable secure condition, pay their fair share of tax, and streamline the process for enforcement.
• Ensure that all vacant properties are taxed at the Class 3 rate.
• Address serious questions raised by the value of the assessments and major inconsistencies between properties.
• Provide DCRA with resources for additional personnel to complete inspections and enforce DC law.
• Adopt a more user-friendly system and service-oriented philosophy to help owners obtain construction permits and address outstanding "stop work" orders. One project on M Street, for example, has been trying to obtain a permit for 2 1/2 years.
• Maintain government-owned vacant property at a level equal or greater to that expected of private landowners and expeditiously develop or sell such land.
• Strengthen historic preservation laws and enforcement regarding demolition by neglect.

The vacant property survey results and photographs of selected properties are available at

http://www.box.net/shared/xfvtsu4n9v

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