There is a dead zone in Wake Forest’s downtown, a large brick two-story building where the first floor windows are covered with newspapers more than a decade old. The owner has rebuffed all sales offers and who never responds to requests that she improve the safety of the building.
No one during the Friday morning town board retreat said the owner’s name or identified the building, but every one of them knows who they were referring to as do all the downtown merchants and a large portion of the town population.
“We’re not trying to jump on her,” Commissioner Greg Harrington said. “We just want to make sure our downtown looks presentable.”
It is not the only building in downtown that has been vacant for years. Commissioner Margaret Stinnett pointed out the large rambling house on Brooks Street. “It’s been empty for years and years. What’s the difference? The town owns a piece of junk house at the edge of the cemetery that’s about to fall in.” That last house is the Ailey Young House which the Historic Preservation Commission had hoped to restore as a museum or other use.
J.J. Carr, head of the town’s inspection department, said he has called the widow several times about the property and at one time told her they were going to disconnect the power because of the condition of the back of the building. “And she never got back to us.”
The inspections department did remove a dangling gutter on the back of the building “before somebody got hurt.”
The town has recently passed an ordinance requiring property owners to keep their buildings up to code.
“It’s a long, drawn-out process,” Carr said. “It’s relatively short for a legal person,” town attorney Eric Vernon responded.
Carr and his inspectors have drawn up a top10 list of buildings that are an imminent danger to the public and should be repaired, razed or at least inspected. Town inspectors have not been given permission to go into the downtown brick building to determine its condition and would need a court order to do so.
Carr said the house that recently burned on North White Street heads his list, which also included burned and abandoned houses on Forestville Road on property that backs up to the future Holding Village subdivision. “It’s a long list,” he said.
Carr has sent his list on to Vernon and his firm to begin the title search and are beginning to send out letters about the properties. Carr said the first hearing will be Feb. 18 about the burned North White Street house.
Mayor Vivian Jones asked if the town needs to have an ordinance which would not allow you to have a boarded-up empty building in downtown. Both Commissioner Jim Thompson and Donahue said it would be difficult to craft an ordinance for just one situation.
“Could we ask the staff to research what other towns do?” Jones asked.
2 Responses
Let me suggest a different approach. Rather than find harm, accuse, or pass rules, why not simply offer to help? I know of no property owner downtown that wants their property to stay vacant, or in disrepair. Empty vacant buildings actually end up costing more due to lack of use and deterioration. Most property owners who own commercial properties prefer those properties to earn income, not sit vacant. That’s basic economics and human behavior. Use that as leverage to accomplish the tasks desired.
Rather than create a confrontational situation, work on a new approach of creating a helping approach. Try to get in the mind of the property owner and get creative to accomplish the tasks. As a property owner who wishes to be cash positive eventually I would welcome the help and assistance of government, rather than government using their “weapon” of regulation to harm my interests, or heaven forbid to use eminent domain to take the owner’s property away.
Now not to just complain and solve nothing but exhaling hot air, why not get behind the DRC ( Wake Forest Downtown) initiative and create/FUND the rehab. credit LOAN program that actually helps bring in desirable tenants, increase occupancy, decrease empty buildings, increase employment, enhance higher property tax revenues and higher contributions to the municipal tax ( only imposed on downtown property owners I’ll add), so we can move forward and get away from government edict to regulate rather than assist in common municipal, quality of life goals we all share?
The building in question, being discussed in this article, is one of many that need addressing if “Downtown Wake Forest” is to truly attract viable businesses, which is fundamental to the town’s vision for true ‘revitalization’. In order for those plans to fully be realized, it takes more than building renovations–but at least it’s a start. At present, there appears to be a permanent void of business development due to the condition of the downtown buildings. If the town has any hope for creating a thriving environment (one that attracts both tourists and townsfolk alike), it needs to set a precendence….Hopefully one that echos the same pride of historical standards that other towns of similar age and history cherish and have engrained in all aspects of the community.