Blight efforts reviewed
Blight – the ever-persistent problem.
More than a year after the announcement of a new blight initiative, and the subsequent formation of a Blight Task Force, one can see some progress in the property upkeep in the city, but there is still more to be done.
This issue has been a concern in West Haven for more than 30 years and has its origins in the Housing Bubble implosion of 1988. This is something this newspaper has been addressing for most of its history.
The housing bubble burst in 1988 was a catastrophic event in the history of this community and is something the effects of which we are still feeling in 2024. Prior to 1988 West Haven was a destination city. Its middle-class neighborhoods and successful school system had families from all over the state and region coming here.
The city had felt some earlier blows, it is true. The loss of big industries like Armstrong Rubber Company and Bayer Pharmaceuticals eliminated the two largest taxpayers. Future blows coming from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) further eroded the industrial base that had been the mainstay of the community. But it was the housing bubble that hurt the city most.
One day houses were selling for low- to mid-six figures. The next, the same properties were sold for cents on the dollar. We have stated before we remember many people maxing out their credit cards to buy homes and condominiums in hopes of having investment properties when “things got back to normal.”
But they did not, at least not here.
The exodus of live-in owners, and the influx of poorer renters led to a downward spiral in the upkeep of properties. In an era before credit and background checks, if one had the money to pay the rent, the apartment or house was leased.
The cheap property values and lack of money to keep properties up led to a further downward spiral of maintenance. That lack of maintenance, particularly in denser parts of the city, has put housing stock and the surrounding grounds in deteriorating condition.
Mayor Borer announced a Blight Enforcement Commission in March of 2024, and we supported this effort. The multi-departmental commission encompasses Police, Fire, Health, and Building department personnel, and will provide constables to monitor or investigate buildings cited for blight.
From parking cars on front lawns, to deteriorating porches to using driveways as a machine shop, violations of city ordinances must be enforced if the city is to clean itself up from the earlier chaos. This includes illegal dumping in areas that have been problems for years. Again, while some improvement can be seen, there are still areas for improvement. Some areas, such as wooded tracts on Stevens Avenue, still have problems.
A major component is the registration of a person for each property owned by absentee owners. Many LLCs have bought rental stock and hide behind the corporation. The registration puts a name and a phone number to the property, a big plus. Also, the property owners will pay a $250 registration fee, with a $500 fine for noncompliance.
We see some improvements, again, with this approach. People are responsible for corporations. However, while many comply, some do not, and the above-mentioned problems persist. More effort is needed. Sometimes the best way to gain results is publicly exposing violators.
We believed more than a year ago this original approach would be a good first step in tackling blight in the city. It has moved in that direction.