Houston Chronicle
A blighted Houston apartment complex that has been vacant for 20 years is scheduled to be demolished at 9 a.m. today.
"This is one of the worst examples of neglectful ownership that I have seen," Mayor Annise Parker said in a statement today, adding that the owner of the property had failed to improve its condition despite receiving numerous chances. "The property is a neighborhood eyesore and a public safety risk."
The 43-unit complex, located at 7410 Park Place Blvd., was the subject of an extended story in the Houston Chronicle in February that showed the apartment in Houston to be a magnet for crimes involving drugs and prostitution. It is one of thousands of abandoned properties all over Houston that city officials and police have found to be dangerous and in need of demolition.
Since 2005, the city has demolished more than 3,000 such Houston apartments, but nearly three times that remain, despite the hiring in recent years of additional inspectors who can issue citations and begin the process of establishing evidence of abandonment that can be used in court to justify demolition.
More than 800 Houston apartment buildings the city has deemed "unsafe" have been demolished in the past 12 months, a record set largely through the use of "Demolition Day" in May, when 185 structures were torn down in one day with the help of private contractors.
"This is one of the worst examples of neglectful ownership that I have seen," Mayor Annise Parker said in a statement today, adding that the owner of the property had failed to improve its condition despite receiving numerous chances. "The property is a neighborhood eyesore and a public safety risk."
The 43-unit complex, located at 7410 Park Place Blvd., was the subject of an extended story in the Houston Chronicle in February that showed the apartment in Houston to be a magnet for crimes involving drugs and prostitution. It is one of thousands of abandoned properties all over Houston that city officials and police have found to be dangerous and in need of demolition.
Since 2005, the city has demolished more than 3,000 such Houston apartments, but nearly three times that remain, despite the hiring in recent years of additional inspectors who can issue citations and begin the process of establishing evidence of abandonment that can be used in court to justify demolition.
More than 800 Houston apartment buildings the city has deemed "unsafe" have been demolished in the past 12 months, a record set largely through the use of "Demolition Day" in May, when 185 structures were torn down in one day with the help of private contractors.
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