Two ugly structures in Fort Smith will be gone within 30 days

Two buildings in Fort Smith are going to be demolished, and the owners are going to be charged for the expenses if the city has to do it.  One is a home on Phoenix Ave. that was damaged by a fire in August of last year.  The city demands that the owners raze the house within 30 days – so by sometime in early July.

The other home is on South 17th St.  It was had nobody living in it for several years because of its poor condition.

A June 7 report on CityWire.com says that the City of Fort Smith has given notice to the owners of each property.  The city’s planning director said the properties have become problems for the neighborhoods they’re located in.

An ordinance that the Fort Smith Board of Directors approved gives the city the right to hire a company that does demolition to raze both structures and then charge the owners with the cost.

Ellie and I don’t know all the ins and outs of zoning laws, but all this makes sense.  If the properties are eyesores, that will harm other properties in the neighborhood.  It’s the same with a home that people live in that isn’t kept up: something like that can cause nearby home values to go down, because the neighborhood looks junky.

The home not damaged by fire, the one on South 17th St. isn’t talked about much in the CityWire report, other than it says it was in “poor condition.”  So that, along with the one damaged by fire, means these could be dangerous for kids playing around them or people in general getting close.

It’s only responsible when you have a structure that is no longer livable and never will be again to tear it down.  Unfortunately, there are people who don’t take responsibility.  I know if Ellie and I had a listing a house or two away from these two properties, we’d be calling the city daily and saying, “Tear it down now!”

Take pride in Fort Smith.  Add to its beauty by removing ugliness.

Nick & Ellie