At breakfast, someone asked me, "Lynn, do you realize the number of empty houses and storefronts in our city?" As he was driving around town, he witnessed more and more abandoned properties and thought the number appalling. Thus I have posted our stats and as everyone knows, it is not a pretty picture. We also briefly discussed the City's intent to pour $6 million into the Park of Commerce with the city falsely believing that this is some sort of salvation for it down the road...spend multi-millions never to recapture it back in advalorem for 50 to 100 years. They never listened to one-half of the voters who said "no."
| Household Income Levels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Less than $30,000 | 6,354 | (45%) |
| $30,000 to $74,999 | 6,140 | (44%) |
| $75,000 to $149,999 | 1,424 | (10%) |
| $150,000 or More | 166 | (1%) |
Total housing units 15,861-- 100.0%
Occupied housing units 13,828-- 87.2
Vacant housing units 2,033-- 12.8
For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use 876-- 5.5
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent) 2.6 (X)
Rental vacancy rate (percent) 7.9 (X)
| HOUSING TENURE | ||
| Occupied housing units | 12,958 | 100.0% |
| Owner-occupied housing units | 6,423 | 49.6% |
| Population in owner-occupied housing units | 15,653 | ( X ) |
| Average household size of owner-occupied units | 2.44 | ( X ) |
| Renter-occupied housing units | 6,535 | 50.4% |
| Population in renter-occupied housing units | 18,639 | ( X ) |
| Average household size of renter-occupied units | 2.85 | ( X |
This is why I believe we need to dissolve the city and become part of the county. You can't support a government with statistics like this. Why don't we just let the county provide our governmental services at less cost and be done with it.
ReplyDeleteSaturday's controlled burn of a City owned abandoned house is a great example of how blighted City owned properties can be demolished at virtually no cost, increasing the value to potential investors.
ReplyDeleteOh, don't worry-the parade of incoming artists will save us. Until they are priced out of the city if/when the powers that be get their way.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be the pattern in cities that want development and "progress".
Lynn check this article out that I will send to you by e-mail. As I said to you before , the permeating conscious of our country and the west is just smash and grab weather it's at the global level or the local level , just look at the local government here in LW with what the commission has done and the code dept. goes around trying to intimidate people in local business with bogus inspections and fines ( extra taxes) which is nothing more then extortion.
ReplyDeleteThey have run off the bigger business , Midnight Sun Tour's , Park Ave Ribs , Duncan Donut's , Beer disturb. , and on and on I know all of the owner's of these companies and the story is the same , they got tired of the city and their bullshit .
Any body with half of a brain now will not come here to do business unless they have written commitment from the city which leaves them with the poor small business owners that are broke and are the bread and butter of what's left of the tax base, you cannot get blood from a rock.
There is no way that they can make up their short fall in money because their over head cost ( government ) is expanding ever more so everyday and the tax base is declining everyday in sink with the world economy.
What happens, is that government starts to become irrelevant more and more everyday.
City haven't looked better overall in the 30 years I've lived here.
ReplyDeleteYeah, attracting poor artists is really the in thing to do. Groovy man.
ReplyDeleteDelray Beach did the same thing attracting artists. It seemed to have worked out pretty good for them. I know, we don't want to be like Delray Beach, but some of us wouldn't mind.
ReplyDeleteOne thing not mentioned with all the talk of "low income housing" is that the single family habitat homes are being assessed at up to $140K and above. That in turn is jacking up the asking prices of surrounding properties which is what they were intended to do.
Even with full Save Our Homes tax exemptions, these properties are paying for the services we need unlike the dilapidated properties they replaced.
Things are looking up and it shows with the year over year property value increase we experienced last year. This year should be just as positive.
Out with the old (crappy) in with the new. This commission is doing a great job.
There's nothing wrong with attracting artists. What's happening in Delray is that the artists are being forced out because the properties on which they have their studios are being purchased by developers. This is how gentrification goes. The same thing is happening in Austin. What made it unique is being bought up.
ReplyDeleteSure, that means property values are going up and it's becoming desirable. But you have to be careful of how far to go.
When my property increases in value I will be out of here to a place that has a more stable, established identity, unless something changes. I fear overdevelopment- at least my version of it. That's a long way off I guess. I'm not sure how "unique" LW will remain.
I should think that LW wants to attract the same kind of artists as Delray has-the "decorative" ones--not the ones who cause controversy! The poor artists-it's like they are used to help re-energize and restore cities; then the artists are outpriced and abandoned. The way of the world.