Friday, October 22, 2010

DCRA and Vacant Properties

HT to the CCCA blog and it's 10/22 post about a pilot project to work with residents in the Convention Center Civic and Mount Vernon Square Civic Assocations' areas.
DCRA has a page for owners and residents to register or report vacant properties should the map that CCCA and the MVSA people have doesn't jive with what one sees walking, biking or just living in the neighborhood.
A property can be considered 'vacant' if it has:

  • low or no utilities usage;

  • an accumulation of mail;

  • a lack of furniture or window coverings;

  • open accessibility;

  • deferred maintenance, including loose or falling gutters, severe paint chipping, or overgrown grass;

  • been the subject of neighbor complaints about the property; and

  • been boarded up.

  • My only concern, as one who likes private property rights, is for vacation or low use property that is not a nuiance and is off-grid. But regardless in an urban setting rotting mail, boards on windows and doors, bad maintenance and drawing complaints should make a property listed as vacant.