Support OpenDurham.org
Preserve Durham's History with a Donation to Open Durham Today!
OpenDurham.org is dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history of our community. Run by our parent nonprofit, Preservation Durham, the site requires routine maintence and upgrades. We do not ask for support often, but today, we're asking you to chip in to help us reach our goal of raising $7,500 for annual maintenance by the end of the year. Your support allows us to maintain this valuable resource, expand our archives, and keep the history of Durham accessible to everyone.
Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Help us keep Durham's history alive for future generations.
Comments
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 5/31/2011 - 9:41pm
so what is the official Durham policy on neglect, leaving a house boarded up for "too long"?
Do I remember correctly that there is a max limit how long a house can stay boarded up without any sign of restoring/bringing to life?
I thought it was something like 90 days for residential,and 2 years for commercial.
would love to know what the official policy is, and what the fines are, when they come into play, how often, when they step up etc?
not just for this particular house but in general.
thanks
Submitted by John Martin (not verified) on Wed, 6/1/2011 - 9:41pm
@Anon
Current City ordinances say that a house can only remain boarded for six months, and so this house is probably in violation. But there are many houses in violation throughout the city. They are frequently owned by people who intend to "do something" with them "sometime," but for a variety of reasons aren't ready to to anything right now. Owners of these properties run the gamut from Mom and Pop investors to larger developers like Blue Devil Ventures. But they also include non-profits like Habitat for Humanity, which purchased 1103 Taylor St. a year or so ago and boarded it up, and government entities like the Durham Housing Authority which has had 1010 Worth St. boarded up for years.
Neighborhood Improvement Services is now studying this problem and attempting to develop new mechanisms for getting property owners to follow the law. It is not necessarily an easy problem to deal with. I'm the chair of an ad-hoc Inter-Neighborhood Council committee, attempting to find solutions as well.
If you have ideas, or if you know of cities that have successfully dealt with this problem, we'd love to hear about them.
Submitted by Zack P on Fri, 10/18/2013 - 3:57pm
I noticed yesterday that the two houses on Fernway St. (506 and 508) are scheduled to be demolished on October 21st and 22nd. They've put yellow tape around them and written demo dates in orange spray paint. Last year they cleared most of the vegetation in the lots behind them (leaving only the trees) and planted grass seed. I also haven't seen any cars parking in the Durham Public Schools lot on the corner of Morris and Fernway for some time. Perhaps this is all in anticipation of the owner's re-purpose of the block.
Submitted by Boomer (not verified) on Tue, 10/29/2013 - 4:06pm
These 2 houses were demolished a few days ago.
Add new comment
Log in or register to post comments.