Hey political folks... I realize I almost never post in this forum, because I dont really care much about arguing politics... But after spending 5 days in Huntington last week an idea came to me, and I'd like some feedback.
So as I was driving around looking at properties to potentially buy, I noticed literally hundreds of properties that should be condemned and removed. Maybe they were previously burned out, long ago abandoned, or boarded up for some other reason, but there are a ton of eye sore shithole properties in town. Properties that are so terrible that they are a public safety hazard and a certain nuisance to adjacent property owners.
Does Huntington not have a means to remedy such properties? - Im guessing not since some have been in shambles for years. And if not, why?... An open vacant lot would be more attractive to a potential buyer/developer than a house that half burned in 2021... And even if the lot isn't sold immediately, an open green lot is much better looking than said building.
My proposal would be to introduce a SPLOST (special local option sales tax) one quarter of a cent, to put money into a fund for property remediation. Collect the SPLOST for a year while a list of said properties is developed and then get to work on the list. Inform the property owner that their property is on the list, they can either clean it up themselves by a set deadline, or the city will do it and foreclose the lot (for later sale) to recoup the cost of the demolition/debris removal.
I think we could spur development, and make the city a lot more attractive in the process, if we tore down about 200 buildings over the next 4-5 years.
Any thoughts?
So as I was driving around looking at properties to potentially buy, I noticed literally hundreds of properties that should be condemned and removed. Maybe they were previously burned out, long ago abandoned, or boarded up for some other reason, but there are a ton of eye sore shithole properties in town. Properties that are so terrible that they are a public safety hazard and a certain nuisance to adjacent property owners.
Does Huntington not have a means to remedy such properties? - Im guessing not since some have been in shambles for years. And if not, why?... An open vacant lot would be more attractive to a potential buyer/developer than a house that half burned in 2021... And even if the lot isn't sold immediately, an open green lot is much better looking than said building.
My proposal would be to introduce a SPLOST (special local option sales tax) one quarter of a cent, to put money into a fund for property remediation. Collect the SPLOST for a year while a list of said properties is developed and then get to work on the list. Inform the property owner that their property is on the list, they can either clean it up themselves by a set deadline, or the city will do it and foreclose the lot (for later sale) to recoup the cost of the demolition/debris removal.
I think we could spur development, and make the city a lot more attractive in the process, if we tore down about 200 buildings over the next 4-5 years.
Any thoughts?
