blight
Abandoned Properties Locked In Limbo As The Tax Bill Grows
There are thousands of tax delinquent properties in Jefferson County. Many of them are vacant and in disrepair. But even burned down houses and empty lots can still rack up thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes and fees. This is the second part of our look at Alabama’s tax lien system. The Cycle of […]
Birmingham City Council Delays Spending Budget Surplus on Blight, Schools
Birmingham’s City council wants to use $5 million in surplus funds to tackle blight in the city and enhance school reading programs. The proposal next goes before the committee of the whole. If approved, the council would allocate $2 million dollars to tear down abandoned homes and $2 million dollars to cut overgrown grass. The remaining $1 […]
Eva Hardy Jones: Powell School’s Legendary Principal
Eva Hardy Jones became principal of Powell School in 1976. Around this time, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, but it and its students were in need.
Infamous West End Property Set for Demolition
A blighted property in West End that city officials say has been a scar on that area for too long is being demolished. Birmingham city leaders announced today that demolition of Larkway Gardens begins tomorrow morning, Wednesday, February 17, at 9 a.m. following asbestos removal. In an interview with WBHM last year, Councilwoman Sheila Tyson […]
Losing History in One of Birmingham’s Oldest Neighborhoods
Birmingham city leaders are stepping up efforts to deal with dilapidated or abandoned properties. In communities overshadowed by blight, preservation is rarely an option, since resources are devoted to cleaning up and demolishing hazardous properties. In these neighborhoods, residents want to document the past before it’s destroyed. A Crumbling History Andre Brown drives a blue […]
Fighting Blight: More Demolitions, Tougher Code Enforcement in 2016
It’s not unusual to drive along some inner city Birmingham streets and see well-maintained homes alongside burned structures and weed-infested lots. For years, residents have complained, and, if they were lucky, some lots and abandoned property were cleared. This year, with millions more in the budget and new laws with penalties for owners who don’t maintain their property, the city is hoping to stop blight in its tracks.
Birmingham’s Blight – Ravaged Inner City Communities Ready for Change
Birmingham has received national attention for its booming downtown revitalization and new development projects. But that's not the whole story. Less than a mile from downtown gems like Railroad Park and Regions Field, inner city neighborhoods struggle with decaying, abandoned homes and buildings.
