Foreclosure landscaping blight: Inland Empire proposes “green lien”

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Foreclosed homes have plenty of issues, among which is blighted landscaping.

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District hopes to rectify that problem. In an effort to keep those lawns from turning brown and further decreasing property values, it has proposed implementing a voluntary ‘green lien’ on the abandoned homes.

The lenders or other owners of the repossessed homes who participate in the program would allow the water board to keep the water meters running until the vacant homes are bought. The buyers will pay off the lien to the water board as part of the purchase deal.

‘We hope this will minimize the damage to the landscaping and the neighborhoods,’ said Greg Morrison, a spokesman for the water district, which covers 96 square miles, including areas of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. ‘It’s a lot more expensive to plant new landscaping than pay the water bills on these properties.’

The board will take up the proposal on Aug. 28.

-- Diane Wedner

Questions or comments? E-mail diane.wedner@latimes.com