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MEDFORD City takes aim at blighted buildings New rules could force boarded-up structures to be torn down Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted May. 3, 2015 at 11:01 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted May. 3, 2015 at 11:01 PM » Social News A boarded-up house with gaping holes in the roof at 212 Jeanette Ave. has become a nuisance and an eyesore for neighbors in this residential area off West Main Street in Medford. “We’ve seen a couple of homeless people going in there,” said Maria Rodriguez, a mother of two boys who lives nearby. “It’s kind of scary.” The Jeanette house is one of the worst of 55 properties identified by the city as “blighted.” It likely will be among those targeted by the Medford City Council, which plans to enact new rules that will provide deadlines for the property owners to demolish or remodel the buildings. The council agreed to work on a new ordinance that would give police and city officials more teeth to go after blighted properties while remaining sensitive to hardship cases. Currently, the city has no limit on how long a building can be boarded up. Medford Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fish said he saw photos this week of the Jeanette house taken by city officials and realized it was one of the buildings used for fire training last year. “The house was supposed to be torn down, but it got held up,” Fish said. Unfortunately, the building looks even worse after the Medford Fire-Rescue punched holes in the roof. “We’re going to be sending crews out shortly to cover it up,” he said. The owner of the building could not be reached for comment Friday. The building, which is mostly boarded up, has high weeds and graffiti scrawled on the interior walls. Code enforcement officers have seen a pattern in which a house is boarded up and eventually broken into. Even when the intruders are rousted, they or someone else often return. “Some buildings have been boarded up for decades,” said Chris Reising, deputy city manager. He said the inventory of boarded-up houses could be more extensive than the 55 found in a quick survey. Most of the properties identified by the city are bank-owned. Buildings are abandoned for a variety of reasons, including lack of money, an absentee owner, a death in the family, bankruptcies or they are owned by a slum lord, Reising said. The city needs to adopt more up-to-date building codes to provide the legal tools to effectively deal with these problem properties, Reising said. Reising said the primary goal for the city is to work with property owners and seek voluntary compliance. Kathryn Young, 19, lives near the Jeanette Street house and said the abandoned property encourages the homeless to sleep in the alley in the back. “It’s a major eyesore,” Young said. She said while her parents spent considerable energy improving their nicely maintained house, visitors frequently comment that the surrounding area looks like a “ghetto.” “It would be nice to have the neighborhood cleaned up,” she said. Another house on a street near the Jeanette property was burned in a fire, and yet another one a few doors down has graffiti on the front wall and an expletive that are clearly visible from the street. Houses that have been damaged by fire often sit vacant for lengthy periods because of insurance investigations. Other cities in Oregon have tackled the problem in various ways. Sam Barnum, Medford building director, said Bend allows six months to start the repairs on a boarded-up house, with an additional 60 days for the work or demolition to be completed. The city is exploring using federal dollars — known as Community Development Block Grants — to invest in repairs or demolition of some problem properties, which also include commercial buildings. The city also could pay for the repairs or the demolition out of its own funds and place a lien or possibly foreclose on the property. Councilor Tim Jackle said he wanted code enforcement officers to have discretion in hardship cases. “What if we find they can’t fix the house because they’re on kidney dialysis?” he asked. Many of the buildings may have missing windows but the structures themselves are relatively intact, and councilors worried that some residents just don’t have the funds to pay for the repairs. They also wanted to differentiate between vacant buildings and those that are occupied. Councilor Daniel Bunn said a brick building at the corner of 10th and Front streets now owned by Jefferson Live!, which had once hoped to relocate the Jefferson Public Radio studio and offices to that area, is an example of a structure that has sat empty for many years. “Do we say put glass windows in or we’re tearing it down?” he said. “Is that where we’re going?” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted May. 3, 2015 at 11:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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