ANDERSON – By the middle of September the city of Anderson hopes to have 69 properties demolished through the state-funded Blight Elimination Program.
The program started in 2014 and the city of Anderson received two grants totaling $2.8 million in two rounds with the intention of demolishing 128 properties.
As of last week there were 21 buildings demolished and 10 ready to be taken down.
Once the residential dwellings are demolished, the goal is to use the properties for greenspace, parks and gardens or for the construction of new residential housing.
Michael Frischkorn, deputy director of the Anderson Economic Development Department, has taken over the administration of the grants. He said the city is working with several community partners for the eventual use of the properties.
He said half of the funds approved in the first grant of $1.5 million must be spent by Sept. 16 and half of the $1.3 million in the second grant must be used by the end of August.
The city can spend between $15,000 and $25,000 to acquire a property, demolish the structure and for maintenance costs.
“We’re not as far along as we would like to be,” Frischkorn said. “It’s a completed program, one that has never been done before. We want to make sure and follow all the rules.”
To demolish a property through the program, the city has to find an owner willing to sell a property to the city, hire a contractor and demolish the property.
The property is sold to the Anderson Community Development Corp. (ACDC), which negotiates the price and then reaches an agreement with a community partner, Frischkorn said.
The offer to purchase is normally $1,000 and the program can pay back taxes owed on the property.
Frischkorn said ACDC owns the property for three years and then ownership is transferred to the community partner at no cost.
“The end use is greenspace, a park, parking lot, garden or housing,” he said. “The property can be transferred to an adjacent property owner. It can’t be used for a business.”
The Blight Elimination Program is scheduled to end in 2017.
“Our goal is to meet the state guidelines,” Frischkorn said. “We hope there will be an extension from the state.”
ACDC is being formed as a not-for-profit corporation to market the properties in the future, he said.
Kevin Sulc, chairman of the ACDC, said the other activity currently underway is the Blight Elimination Program, but other concepts are being developed.
During a recent meeting of the ACDC, Sulc said it was not interested in obtaining properties that are listed on the county tax sale.
“We have just begun a dialogue between city and county officials.” Sulc said. “That was lacking for several years, we missed an opportunity.”
He said that eight properties that were obtained had outstanding property taxes that exceeded what the Blight Elimination Program would allow to acquire the property.
Sulc said the county can waive the penalties and fees.
“The goal is to get these properties back on the tax rolls,” he said.
Rob Sparks, executive director of the Corporation for Economic Development, said he is working to obtain a federal grant for a Youth Build program to help young people between the ages of 16 to 24 gain job skills.
The goal is to obtain some of the properties that have been demolished to construct housing.
“The Builders Association will teach them,” Sparks said. “We want to be a turnkey program and our target area is the city core.”
The Anderson Housing Authority will be the fiscal agent for the grant.
Youth Build wants to build a house at property owned by ACDC at 2439 Jackson St.
“The idea is to revitalize and stabilize neighborhoods,” Sparks said.
Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. said there are plenty of properties that will be available as the Blight Elimination Project moves forward.
“There are a lot of opportunities and properties that can be worked on,” he said.
A second group is interested in obtaining property on the northwest corner of 11th and Lincoln streets for use as a neighborhood park or green space.