City to Air Its Plans for Fixing Alleys

The City Council will hear public comments Monday on a proposal to take over and repair privately owned alleys behind Shalimar Drive, officials said.

Fixing the blighted area is part of the city’s ambitious Shalimar improvement project, which in the past year has cleaned up the once-troubled neighborhood with street barriers, no-parking signs and increased police presence.

Once a haven for drug dealers and gangs, the street is now seeing a return of children and families as crime has declined.

Many of the alleys in the area have already been fixed by their owners, but some still need work, Mayor Joe Erickson said.

“The problem remains that we couldn’t get a few holdout property owners to improve their properties,” Erickson said. “It’s one of the final steps in improving Shalimar, and it needs to get done.”

More than two dozen property owners share one alley south and two alleys north of Shalimar. The owners will be asked to turn the roads over to the city without charge so that $479,000 in repairs can be made, Public Services Director Bill Morris said.

An undetermined amount in administrative costs also is expected to be involved.

Property owners may share some of the expense with the city. On Monday, council members also will discuss whether to bill the owners for the work through an assessment district, or special tax zone.

A second public hearing on the matter will be Nov. 4, when the council is expected to vote on the project.

Work could begin within eight or nine months of council approval, Morris said.