OKC Ignoring Blight

[Jersey Boss]

A good article on the lackadaisical attitude of the OKC government in dealing with negligent property owners .

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news...d/70465952007/

[SEMIweather]

Justice for the Sex Couch, that should have stayed even after the burnt-out church at NW 30th & Hudson was finally demolished IMO. Or at least moved next to the Cock Ring at E.K. Gaylord & Dean A McGee. Would immediately challenge the feather sculpture at Scissortail for best piece of public art in the city.

[Shortsyeararound]

And our highways are loaded with debris. I’m surprised there aren’t more injuries or damage to vehicles because of everything. It is embarrassing.

[OkieBerto]

It seems to be all over the city. There was recently a vacant home fire right next to the new Bungalow 23 spots. Shartel and 24th. Just down the road from that Vacant falling apart Church. There seems to be no urgency in making these structures safe.

[citywokchinesefood]

I mourn the OKC cock ring not being installed with the original render. It is truly a shame that the cock ring will never see the light of day. IT would have been a true monument to the city.

[Mountaingoat]

Giving owners of dilapidated properties a decent opportunity to clean them up is one thing but fining them along the way is good incentive.

[RangersYear]

So fining people who don't want to spend money is an incentive for them to bring their property up to speed? Confused.

[Jersey Boss]

So fining people who don't want to spend money is an incentive for them to bring their property up to speed? Confused.

Certainly it is. If people don't or can't accept the responsibility that comes with ownership a fine will provide the motivation to be a responsible owner. Can't afford it? Sell.

[RangersYear]

Certainly it is. If people don't or can't accept the responsibility that comes with ownership a fine will provide the motivation to be a responsible owner. Can't afford it? Sell.

That owner who needs to spend $5,000 to get their property fit is going to have a change of heart because of a $35 monthly fine? Good luck.

[jdg78]

Anyone ever think why this type of property is named in the paper and the property owners are attacked by slackmeyer while all the while mazzahari escapes any Oklahoman ridicule? Imagine if this property was in N.E. OKC?

[Jersey Boss]

That owner who needs to spend $5,000 to get their property fit is going to have a change of heart because of a $35 monthly fine? Good luck.

No a $35 will not be an end all solution to this problem. 3 fines that increase in amount for non compliance would then end in the city correcting the problem, billing the property owner for the work and putting a lien on the property until the work is paid for.

[Dob Hooligan]

I think the ability of cities to compel property maintenance has been weakened by the state legislature the last couple years.

[Mountaingoat]

That owner who needs to spend $5,000 to get their property fit is going to have a change of heart because of a $35 monthly fine? Good luck.

LOL..... As those fines add up and become a serious legal issue? Yeah, it would be incentive.

[BoulderSooner]

LOL..... As those fines add up and become a serious legal issue? Yeah, it would be incentive.

the fines never become any legal issue until there is a need to sell the property .

[Pete]

I raised this issue over the illegal parking at the Lumberyard property.

They were parking hundreds of cars several times a week. Finally got the City to ticket them but they just kept on doing it for months.

I'm sure they got a small fine while raking in thousands... So why stop? They have now only because they are trying to get an exception to allow them to keep parking on an unpaved surface, which it looks like they will get.

[CCOKC]

This is frustrating because I have talked to property owners and homeless people alike who have told me that the property owner is assessed a penalty if a homeless person is camped on their property. There are some occasions that the property owner doesn't care that the homeless people are on the property but if there are complaints from neighbors they are forced to move the individuals off of the property. I am not sure how the city can enforce that situation but not the burned down properties that are a public menace.

[Jersey Boss]

This is frustrating because I have talked to property owners and homeless people alike who have told me that the property owner is assessed a penalty if a homeless person is camped on their property. There are some occasions that the property owner doesn't care that the homeless people are on the property but if there are complaints from neighbors they are forced to move the individuals off of the property. I am not sure how the city can enforce that situation but not the burned down properties that are a public menace.

The elected officials apparently are beholden to these scofflaws.

[unfundedrick]

I think the ability of cities to compel property maintenance has been weakened by the state legislature the last couple years.

You are correct about that. I couldn't find a link to exactly what you are referring to but it did happen.

[ChrisHayes]

While I hate blight, and wish the city would crack down on it more, like a lot of things, it's something that goes on just about everywhere.

[OkieBerto]

While I hate blight, and wish the city would crack down on it more, like a lot of things, it's something that goes on just about everywhere.

I would agree with this, but I rarely find major cities allowing their urban core neighborhoods to allow for blight across the street from a million-dollar listing. This happens in most of our major neighborhoods downtown. You also have very large amounts of vacant land or concreted spots in the middle of the downtown districts. I know this exists everywhere too, but the more successful cities don't really let that happen for decades like OKC does.

[Mountaingoat]

I would agree with this, but I rarely find major cities allowing their urban core neighborhoods to allow for blight across the street from a million-dollar listing. This happens in most of our major neighborhoods downtown. You also have very large amounts of vacant land or concreted spots in the middle of the downtown districts. I know this exists everywhere too, but the more successful cities don't really let that happen for decades like OKC does.

Clean up blight then another group of do-gooders start complaining about gentrification.

[OkieBerto]

Clean up blight then another group of do-gooders start complaining about gentrification.

I remember the early days of the Plaza District and my friends had their shops vandalized because of that. I understand to a point, but if local people are willing to spend money in your area and make it a great place for anyone to be that term really loses its meaning.

[Shortsyeararound]

I remember the early days of the Plaza District and my friends had their shops vandalized because of that. I understand to a point, but if local people are willing to spend money in your area and make it a great place for anyone to be that term really loses its meaning.

Less than 20 years ago the Plaza area was all prostitution from 16th to 2nd. Bad bad bad.
This was a great thing. Same with the Sosa area. People mad were pimps and ho’s haha

[WileyPostage]

You are correct about that. I couldn't find a link to exactly what you are referring to but it did happen.

I think that bill was Oklahoma's HB 2620 - Protect Property Rights Act from 2014. This is the text of HB 2620: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf...2620%20ENR.PDF

The clear intention of the bill was to hamstring cities' efforts to abate code-violating properties, particularly apartment and house rentals and bank-owned foreclosures. HB 2620 did this by restricting cities' power to track derelict properties and by imposing new layers of red tape before cities can take concrete steps to force negligent property owners to remediate.

A couple of articles from 2014 about HB 2620:

• Oklahoma Gazette: https://www.okgazette.com/news/city-...gistry-2968103
• Tulsa World archive: https://archive.is/HPXJw

[unfundedrick]

I think that bill was Oklahoma's HB 2620 - Protect Property Rights Act from 2014. This is the text of HB 2620: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf...2620%20ENR.PDF

The clear intention of the bill was to hamstring cities' efforts to abate code-violating properties, particularly apartment and house rentals and bank-owned foreclosures. HB 2620 did this by restricting cities' power to track derelict properties and by imposing new layers of red tape before cities can take concrete steps to force negligent property owners to remediate.

A couple of articles from 2014 about HB 2620:

• Oklahoma Gazette: https://www.okgazette.com/news/city-...gistry-2968103
• Tulsa World archive: https://archive.is/HPXJw

Yes, that's exactly what I was referring to.