One week ago today (WSB coverage here), that vacant North Delridge house in the 5400 block of 26th SW (map) was cleaned out by a city crew; it’s now slated to be auctioned off on April 17th foreclosure auction. The ongoing issue of Delridge-area problem properties – from vacant and squatter-besieged, to occupied but debris/deterioration-plagued – is one of the items on the agenda for tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting, 6:30 pm at Delridge Library (map). NDNC co-chair Mike Dady, who has been working a long time to get the city to take notice of the issue, has finally succeeded, and we are now two days away from a tour he plans to lead of some of the problem spots (community members invited, meeting time/place is 2:30 pm Friday at Delridge Uptown Espresso). City Councilmember Sally Clark and Department of Planning and Development director Diane Sugimura have already RSVP’d, and since our original reports on this, the mayor’s public-safety liaison, Julien Loh, also has contacted Mike, who has invited the mayor to join the tour; a city attorney’s office rep is expected to be along too. (12:25 pm addition: We’re also told Councilmember Tim Burgess will be there, as will Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao.) One other development: The city’s Customer Service Bureau director has circulated a note reiterating city codes regarding properties like these — read on to see it (we’ve added inline links to the code sections she mentions):

The note is addressed to the city’s Neighborhood Services Coordinators (West Seattle has two – Ron Angeles, who’s based in Delridge, and Stan Lock, based in The Junction) but it says “feel free to share,” so here goes:

The minimum standards for rental housing and vacant buildings can be found in SMC Chapter 22.206. And our abatement code, which allows us to clean up properties and tear down buildings in very poor condition can be found at SMC Chapter 22.208. In general, if the repair cost exceeds 50 percent of the buildings replacement value (using a proscribed formula), then the City can require that it be demolished. This does,however, sometimes mean DPD needs access to make that assertion, which can be challenging. If the property owner does not demolish the structure within the time frame dictated by DPD, then an action for penalties and order of abatement follows. And the court can order demolition. Then, the City performs the demolition and recoups its costs by placing a lien on the property.

Vacant buildings that are open to entry and have people living in them should be reported to DPD using 615-0808 or their web form at web1.seattle.gov/dpd/complaintform/. The status of the case can then be tracked on-line at http://web1.seattle.gov/DPD/permitstatus/. If the building is broken into repeatedly, DPD can order extra thick plywood and super big screws be used to board it up, and this almost always does the trick. Michael Griffin is the DPD Vacant Building Inspector, and he is fabulous. You might want to invite him to one of your coordinator meetings if you want to talk to him in more detail about these issues.

For private property camping issues, you may also use CSB’s web form to report the issue. http://www.seattle.gov/customerservice/request.htm CSB will then make sure that it gets to DPD. If there are vulnerable people in need of special assistance, please indicate that on the form, and we will request that outreach services are provided.

Please feel free to share this with anyone in your districts interested in this topic. And, as always, just let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Darby N. DuComb, Director
Customer Service Bureau

Again, tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting – which has many other issues on the agenda as well as an update on the problem-property situation – is at 6:30 pm, Delridge Library.