An In-Depth View Of Minneapolis Home Demolition Program

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Twin Cities Daily Planet reports:

• [S]o far this year, the city has razed 21 homes. With a $1.25 million grant from Hennepin County, it hopes to demolish 100 in all by the end of the year. Since 2005, home demolitions by the city have increased a whopping 95 percent. City officials say the increase is directly attributable to the foreclosure crisis. Like many streets in north Minneapolis, the entire 2900 block of Dupont has been under attack for years: First by drugs and crime. Then by foreclosures. Then by arsonists. And now by the implacable arm of a Bobcat.

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• Yet the costs to the city go well beyond the actual demolitions: If there is major asbestos contamination, for example, that can add on another $5,000 or so to the $17,500 average. And if the banks or homeowners appeal the demolition orders—which around 20 percent do, according to [director of inspections for the city of Minneapolis Henry] Reimer—that adds significant costs in attorney’s fees and city workers’ time. Reimer says that nearly 70 percent of the time the mortgage holders cough up the money for the demolitions, attorney’s fees, and subsequent care of the lot.

For mor, see Home demolitions: Can North Minneapolis avoid becoming a Little Detroit?

Go here, Go here, Go here, and Go here for other posts on vacant homes leaving their mark on neighborhoods. ForeclosuresDestroyNeighborhoodsApple