Building safety in downtown Birmingham

1 year ago 47

SOLUTIONS. IF YOU SPEND TIME IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE NOTICED SEVERAL EMPTY AND DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS. YEAH. WVTM 13 IS JARVIS ROBERTSON IS LIVE IN DOWNTOWN THIS EVENING TAKING A LOOK AT STRUCTURAL SAFETY. YEAH. GUY AND SHERI, I’M STANDING HERE ON FIRST AVENUE IN FRONT OF A BUILDING THAT ACTUALLY COLLAPSED ABOUT A WEEK AGO. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE ROOF FELL IN. THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL BRICKS SCATTERED OUT HERE IN FRONT OF THE PROPERTY. BUT THE PROPERTY OWNER, I’M TOLD, THEY CAME OUT AND HAD THIS FENCE PLACED IN FRONT OF THE THE STRUCTURE. NOW, I DID REACH OUT TO THE CITY TODAY BECAUSE THIS BUILDING LED ME TO ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT BLIGHT AND DILAPIDATED RIGHT HERE IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM, RIDING THROUGH DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM. YOU CAN SEE THE ARCHITECTURE ON DISPLAY OF THE MANY DIFFERENT BUILDINGS. CERTAIN AREAS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS, IN MY OPINION, LIKE WITH LIKE NIGHTLIFE WISE OR LIKE JUST PEOPLE WISE. I SPOKE WITH ONE PERSON WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA. I WORK DOWNTOWN AT THE OPPOSITE, SO I’M DOWNTOWN ALMOST EVERY DAY. I ASKED HIS THOUGHTS ON THE SEEMINGLY DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS. A LOT OF THE BUILDINGS DO SEEM TO BE RUNDOWN AND VACATED. WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, IT’S I THINK THAT KIND OF ADDS TO THE CITY’S VIBE. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, MORE URBAN DEVELOPMENT, MORE PEOPLE COME DOWN. DAVID BURNS WAS OUT EATING LUNCH IN DOWNTOWN TOWN. HE FEELS THERE ARE A LOT OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, BUT SAYS SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO BRING MORE LIFE TO THE AREA. YOU CAN LEAVE THOSE, BUT THE BUILDING THAT CAN’T BE SAVED, KNOCK IT DOWN BELOW. BACK UP. I MEAN, IT’S BETTER TO START FROM THE GROUND. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’RE WORKING WITH. I DID ASK CITY OFFICIALS IF THERE ARE ANY STEPS BEING TAKEN TO ADDRESS BLIGHT AND DILAPIDATED PROPERTIES ACROSS BIRMINGHAM. I’M TOLD SINCE 2018, 1400 CONDEMNED PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED, BUT MOST WERE RESIDENTIAL, ACCORDING TO THE CITY’S TECHNICAL CODE, 100 2.5.1. ALL UNSAFE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES. ARKANSAS ARE ILLEGAL AND MUST BE REPAIRED OR DEMOLISHED. THEN THEY SHOULD BE REHABBED. I THINK I THINK THEIR HISTORY. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHY TEAR DOWN SOMETHING THAT SHOWS WHAT THE CITY HAS AND WHAT IT’S BECOME WHILE THERE IS WORK NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE CITY’S INFRASTRUCTURE. OTHERS FEEL BIRMINGHAM SEEMS TO BE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. TEN YEARS AGO FROM NOW, DEVIL, A LOT OF PROGRESS. SO THE CITY TELLS ME THAT ALL PROPERTY OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THEIR PROPERTY. I ALSO ASKED AGAIN ABOUT THE CONDEMNED PROPERTIES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY ONLY HAVE ONE OF THOSE CASES IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM RIGHT NOW. AS FOR PROPERTIES THAT HAVE TO BE DEMOLISHED, THE CITY SAYS THAT IF THEY ARE FORCED TO TAKE THAT ACTION, THE PROPERTY OWNER WILL BE BILLED FOR A LEAD, WILL BE PLACED ON SAID PROPERTY. REPORTING BY FIRE ON FIRST AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM. I’M JEFFERSON ROBERTSO

Blight and dilapidation can be considered a common sight in downtown Birmingham. Also, there are many buildings with different shapes and textures.However, a lot of those buildings are empty.Last week, there was a building collapse at 2409 1st Avenue North. The roof caved in, leaving heavy debris. The city was asked if there was a plan to address any blight or dilapidation in downtown to avoid more buildings collapsing. An emailed response from the mayor's office said, "Since 2018, the city has demolished more than 1,400 structures (mostly residential) citywide that were condemned. During that same time, more than 500 structures were demolished by the property owner after being notified of condemnation by the city. When the city goes through the legal process to condemn a property — and if the property owner does not act on the condemnation — the city gets approval to demolish the property and bill the property owner for the cost. If the property owner does not pay after a set, extended period of time required by law, the city can place a lien on the property.""A private property owner is responsible for maintaining their structure, residential or non-residential. If the property is not maintained, the city may cite it for a code violation. If it is deemed beyond rehabilitation, the city can tag it for condemnation."Birmingham's technical code; 102.5 Unsafe Buildings, Systems and Public Nuisances reads: All buildings, systems, structures, and premises, which are unsafe, unsanitary, which are not provided with adequate egress, or which in relation to existing use constitute a hazard to safety or health by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment, but are not unsafe to the extent that they constitute a public nuisance, are considered unsafe buildings. All such unsafe buildings, systems, structures and premises are hereby declared illegal and shall be abated by repair and rehabilitation or by demolition.The mayor's office said there was only once case of structures in downtown that are considered condemnedWatch the video to hear what some people in downtown Birmingham think about the empty buildings.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Blight and dilapidation can be considered a common sight in downtown Birmingham. Also, there are many buildings with different shapes and textures.

However, a lot of those buildings are empty.

Last week, there was a building collapse at 2409 1st Avenue North. The roof caved in, leaving heavy debris. The city was asked if there was a plan to address any blight or dilapidation in downtown to avoid more buildings collapsing.

An emailed response from the mayor's office said, "Since 2018, the city has demolished more than 1,400 structures (mostly residential) citywide that were condemned. During that same time, more than 500 structures were demolished by the property owner after being notified of condemnation by the city. When the city goes through the legal process to condemn a property — and if the property owner does not act on the condemnation — the city gets approval to demolish the property and bill the property owner for the cost. If the property owner does not pay after a set, extended period of time required by law, the city can place a lien on the property."

"A private property owner is responsible for maintaining their structure, residential or non-residential. If the property is not maintained, the city may cite it for a code violation. If it is deemed beyond rehabilitation, the city can tag it for condemnation."

Birmingham's technical code; 102.5 Unsafe Buildings, Systems and Public Nuisances reads: All buildings, systems, structures, and premises, which are unsafe, unsanitary, which are not provided with adequate egress, or which in relation to existing use constitute a hazard to safety or health by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment, but are not unsafe to the extent that they constitute a public nuisance, are considered unsafe buildings. All such unsafe buildings, systems, structures and premises are hereby declared illegal and shall be abated by repair and rehabilitation or by demolition.

The mayor's office said there was only once case of structures in downtown that are considered condemned

Watch the video to hear what some people in downtown Birmingham think about the empty buildings.

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