litz on Blight, one of Des Moines’ leading neighborhood improvement initiatives, is back in business. Following the COVID pandemic and a backlog of public nuisance property cases in the courts, Blitz on Blight crews are once again removing abandoned and dilapidated structures throughout the city.
Assistant Director SuAnn Donovan said the Blitz on Blight program removed its 100th condemned structure last week and she anticipates a higher removal rate of nuisance properties now that the lull of the COVID pandemic is behind us.
“We picked up the pace to Identify properties for rehabilitation or removal, and we expect to be near pre-COVID levels later this fall and into 2023,” Donovan said. “That’ll be welcome news for our residents who want to see their neighborhoods improve by clearing out these unwanted structures for good, affordable housing.”
Blitz on Blight is a neighborhood revitalization effort fueled the past three years by revenue from the Local Option Sales & Services Tax. Since July 2019, 100 public nuisance properties have been removed at a cost of $2.5 million. There are presently 356 structures at various stages in the Blitz on Blight system.
Residents can track the progress of the Blight on Blight initiative through an award-winning dashboard and interactive map developed by the City’s Information Technology/GIS team. A color-coded legend categorizes the properties and where they are in the Blitz on Blight removal process. A house is added following the first inspection and is updated as it moves from legal action, rehabilitation or demolition. A simple click provides a photo of each property, the address and its status.
Original source can be found here.
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