BUENA PARK : City Gives Deadline for Property Repairs

The city has marked April 15 as code enforcement D-day for property owners in Jackson-Fillmore and other deteriorating neighborhoods in the city.

The City Council this week approved a plan for officials from police, code enforcement, public works and other departments to work as a team to force landlords to repair their property, beginning on that date.

Police Capt. Gary Hicken said he has talked with officials in every city department to see how they can tackle dilapidated apartments, bad street lighting and lack of recreation grounds.

Current code enforcement efforts work on a more “superficial” basis, citing landlords for problems with the exterior of buildings, said Rick Warsinski, assistant director of development services. The new enforcement team would work with property owners to rehabilitate all aspects of the neighborhood, he said.

Last month, council members agreed to put $100,000 of federal block grant funds toward repairing alleys in Jackson-Fillmore, Warsinski said. “I don’t think anyone wants to just give (property owners) $100,000,” he said.

Instead, the city will ask property owners to form a homeowners association and come up with a plan for comprehensive improvement, Warsinski said. If they don’t, the city will prosecute owners for code violations he said.

Councilman Donald L. Bone suggested the city produce drawings of what the officials would like the neighborhood to look like.

“People should not be forced to live in the conditions I saw down there,” he added.

Council members also said they will consider a special tax assessment district in Jackson-Fillmore to force owners to pay for some of the work instead of relying strictly on city and federal aid.

“This is not a grant; this is an investment together,” Mayor Don R. Griffin said.