Abandoned houses

In a perfect world, the 7,000 to 9,000 abandoned houses in Indianapolis would be rehabbed, repainted and resold to families needing a home.
But the reality, according to Mayor Greg Ballard, is that many of these homes are beyond repair, belong to deadbeat owners and need to be demolished.

So on Tuesday, he unveiled a new goal: Tear down about 2,250 of them over the next five years, creating vacant lots until the land can be put to new uses.
"We can't 'demo' our way out of the problem, and we don't intend to do that," Ballard said. "But even a vacant lot can be a nice, valuable green space or be converted into an urban farm, which a lot of neighborhoods like."
The announcement Tuesday was the latest salvo in Ballard's ongoing struggle to solve a problem that has plagued the city for years. Vacant houses, frequently broken into even when they're boarded up, can attract crime and drag down the value of neighboring homes.
Removing a home also removes much of the potential for crime. What's left is the kind of open space kids might love to play in. If someone came along with a plan to use the lot, he or she could buy it from the city.
Last year, the city demolished 270 homes. Ballard will rely on a mix of federal dollars, new state laws and less city red tape to boost that to about 450 per year.
He'll start with many on his "Top 25" list, featuring what he calls the city's biggest "problem properties," which pose a threat to public safety.
"These are the ones, frankly, that are scaring the neighbors the most," he said.
The 25 homes -- sprinkled across crime-ravaged streets such as LaSalle, Ruckle and Hovey -- made the list, in part, based on the number of police runs to them.
Using information
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Michael Spears said officers are noticing a rising number of squatters inside abandoned homes like that one.
"They have taken over the property, and they believe it is theirs, but it's not," Spears said. They create hazards, he said, including selling drugs and weapons and sheltering prostitution.
Under the mayor's plan, a new database -- with information on the owner, occupant, code violations, tax status, condition and current market value -- is being developed and will be made available to the public, particularly to neighborhood groups that track such properties.

That will make it easy to learn the status of a house down the street or to quickly collect information on a property that police report as a problem.
Now, getting information on an abandoned home means slowly navigating a maze of red tape -- from township and county assessors to the treasurer and auditor -- just so the Department of Metropolitan Development can schedule a demolition.
Speeding the process
With the help of new laws that allow bigger fines for deadbeat owners, the city hopes to use its expanded code enforcement department and a new administrative law judge to more quickly expedite the action on problem properties. The judge, John Kraus, conducts hearings It can't happen soon enough for Arsenal Avenue resident Brian Johnson, 37, who lives alone a few blocks north of Tuesday's media event. Pointing up the street, which is just east of Fall Creek, Johnson keeps a running tally.
"There is one next to me that is empty, one on the other side," he said, shifting his arm in the opposite direction. "This one has been rehabbed; that one is empty. I counted one day not long ago, and there's about 20 or 25 in this neighborhood that need help."
While some rent on Arsenal, Johnson owns his home. His biggest concern is the way abandoned homes are broken into and ripped off.

"And as you can see," he said, pointing to high grass, "the city does not always come through in keeping the yards cut. It doesn't look good for any of us."
In addition to the mayor's Top 25 list, the city asked neighborhood association leaders to begin to develop their own "Top Five" lists of properties, which would be added to the mix of homes that could be demolished.
Banking on the future
Many of the homes whose owners cannot be found or refuse to comply with code violations will end up under city control through the Indy Land Bank. The bank has 90 properties, and city officials plan to add up to 250 later this year from tax sales. The goal is to sell those properties to people who would put them to use.
Ballard had a message to those property owners who end up facing city scrutiny.
"I'd rather you work with us. But at the same time, if you are not going to take care of your property . . . we are going to make sure you do," he said. "This is really bigger than just a boarded-up house, bigger than a demolition order.
"This is really about revitalizing entire neighborhoods at a time."

City officials say it costs $5,000 to $8,000 to demolish a house. But that isn't done until property owners are found and given a chance to rectify the matter and the issue makes its way through administrative court.
On average, it takes about 60 days from this point to seek bids, disconnect utilities and test for asbestos before sending the walls tumbling down.