[StBernard] St. Bernard releases updated list of blighted properties

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard releases updated list of blighted properties

By Karen Turni Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

St. Bernard Parish officials issued an updated list late Friday of
Katrina-damaged properties designated as blighted and being considered for
demolition because their owners have yet to say what they plan to do with
the properties. 

The list of 7,833 structures, first released last week, now highlights the
owners of 725 homes who have called or visited the parish within the past
week to address concerns about their properties. 

Acting Chief Administrative Officer Dave Peralta said owners of the
remaining 7,108 structures need to contact the parish to say whether they
already have gutted and cleaned their properties or plan to do so by the
parish's Aug. 29 deadline. Owners can also place their homes in a list of
properties to be demolished. 

The updated list is available in the parish's Web site, www.sbpg.net, where
residents can find out what documents are needed to address the properties'
status and obtain an information form. The list is also posted on Nola.com
and at the Department of Community Development office in Trailer K, behind
the parish government complex. It will be published in the parish journal
and posted at the Parish Courthouse. 

The Aug. 29 deadline, on the anniversary of Katrina's landfall, seeks to
push property owners into making decisions about their properties for the
benefit of residents who are rebuilding in the parish.
Homes whose owners who do not contact the parish could face involuntary
demolition once that deadline passes, Peralta said. 

The owners who have contacted the parish, and whose addresses appear
highlighted in red in the new list, will be right back on the list if they
don't clean up their properties by Aug. 29. 

"If they fail to comply after telling us that they would, they would still
have to come under the Aug. 29 deadline of being placed under forced
demolition," Peralta said. 

However, Peralta said the current list is far from being accurate. People
who secured electrical or building permits very early after the storm were
not listed in parish's computerized database. Consequently, officials have
said some residents living in their repaired homes have told them their
addresses are mistakenly included on the blighted list. 

"For the ones that we erred on, I'm sorry," Peralta said. 

Residents were supposed to contact parish government by May 31 to indicate
whether they planned to rebuild or demolish their homes. The list of
blighted homes includes properties whose owners did not ask the parish to
remove debris, gut or demolish their homes and haven't applied for building
permits to start repairs. It is intended to represent addresses about which
the government has heard nothing from their owners. 

For information, call the office of community development at (504) 278-4301
or (504) 278-4307. 

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3335.