Albany commissioners take aim at dilapidated structures

ALBANY — City of Albany officials have identified nearly two dozen dilapidated and unkempt structures as the worst in the city, and for one Albany City Commission member, one of those structures stands out.

Referring to the “dirty dozen” — actually 22 structures identified by the city’s Code Enforcement Department — Commissioner Chad Warbington highlighted a blue house on the 600 block of North Jefferson Street.

“That property is on a state highway,” he said during the Tuesday commission work session. “Thousands of people go by there every day. Of all the properties, this one is, in my opinion, the worst. It’s across the street from a very nice, very good development.”

The two-story house, at the corner of North Jefferson Street and West Tift Avenue, has numerous boarded-up windows, with others broken or missing.

And, Warbington said, the house is inhabited.

“Something needs to happen immediately,” the commissioner said. “They’ve been receiving notices since ‘19.”

Responding to Warbington’s request for guidance, City Attorney Nathan Davis said that the city can take the owner to court and seek a ruling requiring abatement. In the case of the house identified, the likely outcome is that the city will ultimately have to demolish it.

“The court gives you so many days to rehab it,” Davis said. “I understand it’s fire-damaged pretty heavily on the inside. In my layman’s understanding, it would not be feasible to repair it up to code.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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