Erie Lead "On this site in 1897 nothing happened."

[jeff of pa]

House is vacant



A plaque on the front of the bungalow at 2105 Camphausen Ave. reads, "On this site in 1897 nothing happened."



The house is even quieter now. Neighbors say it has been vacant since 2008, when the owner declared bankruptcy and moved out.


The home's owner, Candyce Ross, declared bankruptcy in 2008, city officials said. Her mortgage company did not take possession of the property.



The company has since dissolved. The firm that absorbed it is based in New York City.



"You can't get a hold of these people," said John Reitinger, the code-enforcement officer for that part of Erie.



He said the property likely will be sold at an upcoming tax sale. The taxes have not been paid since 2006, according to county records. The past-due amount is now $6,300.


http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...79911/-1/RSS01

[jeff of pa]

There are hundreds of other empty, dilapidated houses in Erie, like 756-758 E. Seventh St., that are not yet classified as blighted but they need to be addressed for safety and aesthetic reasons, said Andy Zimmerman, the city's director of code enforcement.



There are also hundreds of newly vacant houses, left empty through foreclosures or deaths or because the owner moved away, Zimmerman and others said.



Erie officials don't have an accurate count on the number of the city's vacant houses. Code enforcement officers in spring started identifying all of them, but the charting is not yet done.



The city's demolition coordinator, Joe Cilladi, guessed the list will contain close to 1,000 properties when the work is done. The city has 31,827 residential properties.



"We can't keep up with it," Zimmerman said. "It's almost impossible to keep up. It's all a big problem, and it's important to every neighbor."

[deepskyal]

I did some contracting in Erie city some years back and like any other big city in America, there are some serious blighted portions you don't want to be alone in....Just sayin.

Al