The Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) requests approval to appropriate $348,000 of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Affordable Housing funds to the General Services Department to utilize an existing Environmental Remediation, Demolition Task Order Contract for the demolition of 5638 Selinsky Road, a blighted apartment complex formerly known as the Crestmont Village Apartments. This property consists of 18 buildings and 172 units.
In 2013, as a result of over 200 calls for service at the apartments, the city obtained a temporary injunction requiring the owners to bring the property into compliance with city codes. When the owners failed to do so by October 2014, a Temporary Restraining Order was issued and a final judgment was made requiring the owners to provide specific security and bring the property into compliance. The owners again failed to follow the most basic requirements and in October 2015, the city obtained a court order shutting down the apartment community.
At that time, HCDD assisted in the relocation of over 300 total residents of the property, spending $22,350 for moving assistance and $106,120 for deposits and/or first month rent at 35 different apartment communities to help tenants resettle. The Crestmont Village property has since remained vacant, providing a haven for squatters and illegal activity. The property is located within two blocks of a middle school, posing a significant safety hazard for neighborhood children.
Demolition of blighted and abandoned properties will help stabilize neighborhoods and encourage community development. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policy Ord. 2014-1078.
This item was reviewed by the Housing and Community Affairs Committee on November 15, 2016.