Dealing With City Blight
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
If Lance Ned isn’t examining a blighted residential property, he’s probably handling the inspection of vacant downtown property.
Such are the moments that normally consume Ned in his role as Opelousas code enforcement director, a job that he explained to the Opelousas Noon Rotary Club on Tuesday.
There are apparently no shortages of challenges unfolding for city code enforcement.
Ned estimates over 50 percent of the residential properties in Opelousas fall into the blighted category, which means their condition requires demolition or serious owner attention.
Many former downtown businesses have been inactive for decades and boarded up, but Ned is frequently faced with situations where owners are unwilling to make improvements or adhere to building codes.
Often it’s Ned who has to make the final call of whether to propose a residential or commercial takedown to the city planning commission and Board of Aldermen or agree to give the owners more time to address the problem.
Residential Properties
Many Opelousas residences need immediate attention due to a number of factors, which Ned said are often due to absentee ownership, inattention or owners who can’t pull together enough funding to make the necessary repairs.
“The situation (with residential blight) is dire,” said Ned.
Ned also has to weigh the city’s cost for demolition, an expense normally remitted to owners in order to help recoup costs.
Due to a recently negotiated cooperative endeavor agreement with the parish, the Opelousas administration will be able to acquire some revenues if a property whose taxes have not been paid, is adjudicated to the city, Ned said.
Both residential and commercial owners who disagree with a demolition decision can always appeal to the Board of Aldermen, said Ned.
Commercial Properties
Ned said a number of former downtown commercial businesses need to be knocked down.
“You’re going to see (the city) become more aggressive during the next six months,” Ned added.
The final decision when any property is demolished lies with the Board of Aldermen,” Ned pointed out.
“I recommend remediation or condemnation. The (Board) usually gives owners a chance to renovate. Sometimes there is no choice but to demolish and move on,” Ned said.
The fate of a downtown, city-owned brick building on the corners of Grolee and Main streets has been languishing for nearly two years, but Ned told the Rotarians it looks as though it is a candidate for razing.
There has also been some attempt to repurpose a former four-story downtown hotel on East Landry, according to Ned,
“A process is being developed to do something with it. It’s moving forward,” Ned said about another donated, city-owned building.
Homeless individuals who were living in the building have been cleared, said Ned.
Bordelon Building
The enormous former garage and vehicle sales building that occupies a block across from City Hall, has been adjudicated to the parish, ostensibly for non-payment of taxes.
North Street between Landry and Main is closed to traffic since Ned feels the north wall of the Bordelon building is in danger of collapsing.
Ned estimates that it could cost the city $150,000 to tear down the entire Bordelon building, price that might be too exorbitant.
“If it would be left up to me, I’d say spend the money and raze it,” Ned added.
Ned added however that anyone who is willing to present a plan for saving the building is welcomed to make a presentation.
“Should that happen I would be more than willing to work with them,” Ned said.
