Ahh Texas…
Houston, TX – Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Council Member Larry Green, the Houston Contractors Association (HCA), neighbors and community leaders kicked off the City’s 3rdAnnual Demo Day at a dilapidated and unsafe building at 4007 Ebbtide Street in southwest Houston Friday morning.
A total of approximately 189 blighted structures throughout the city will be razed as part of the mayor’s 2012 demolition initiative. The structures approved for demolition were selected from a list of properties for which the hearing order date has expired and which the owner has failed to bring into compliance.
“One of my highest priorities for Houston is improving quality of life and making our neighborhoods safer. Clearly, the problem of dangerous and abandoned buildings is urgent,” said Mayor Parker. “This year’s demolition plan aims to make the best use of limited resources, working in partnership with the Houston Contractors Association to reduce the problem. It is a fiscally-responsible plan that gives first priority to those structures assessed as the most dangerous.”
HCA members provided more than $106,000 in donated services to bulldoze hazardous buildings at locations across the city. Founded in 1956, HCA is a nonprofit organization that represents the civil construction industry in the Greater Houston area.
“The Houston Contractor’s Association is proud to, once again, play a role in Mayor Parker’s Demo Day,” said HCA Vice President Jeffrey Nielson. “HCA has been involved in this project since 1993, and it has been very successful in removing dangerous and abandoned homes that have become havens for crime in our neighborhoods. Demo Day helps create a safer environment for our children to play in, and for that we are proud to donate our time and equipment.”
The debris will be cleared in the weeks that follow. The City will place liens against the demolished properties to help recover costs. The initiative will continue until all 189 structures come down.
Houston citizens are urged to report blight or other nuisances on private property by calling the City’s 3-1-1 helpline. For more information, send an email to the Department of Neighborhoods at contact.don@houstontx.gov.