KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories in Kansas City, Missouri, and stories offering solutions on crime. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
Boarded-up buildings, overgrown lots and neglected properties area familiar sights in parts of Kansas City, Missouri.
City leaders are launching a new effort to address the problem and improve neighborhoods.
The city's Fight the Blight initiative focuses on abandoned and vacant properties, with an emphasis on improving those properties by dealing with safety concerns and encouraging investment.
For longtime resident, Tammy Eckles-Biggs, the effects of neglect can be seen when property owners fail to maintain their buildings and land.
“Property goes down; work doesn’t get done," Eckles-Biggs said. "That’s how it happens, you know. Ball drop here, ball drop there, ball just roll on down the street, don’t get picked up. We need to pick up some balls."
As part of the initiative, Kansas City is working to identify vacant properties and establish a process for addressing neglected buildings.
Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw said the effort also will give city staff an opportunity to work directly with property owners to understand their challenges and connect them with available resources.
The goal is not only to address neglected properties, but also to help owners find ways to invest in and improve them.
The city launched a new website on Thursday where residents can report vacant properties and property owners can register their vacant buildings.
City leaders say the initiative is intended to establish accountability while encouraging investment in properties that have remained neglected.
“The goal is to fight the blight," said Parks-Shaw. "So we are ultimately looking to hold everybody accountable to make sure that we can improve our neighborhoods overall. And encourage investment in those vacant properties."
While neighborhood advocates say addressing vacant properties is important, they also want to make sure the initiative does not create additional hardships for vulnerable property owners.
Alana Henry, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, said she views the initiative as a positive step, but believes the city must balance enforcement with assistance.
“Want to be careful that we are not too heavy-handed, and like I said, that we are protecting vulnerable populations and coupling this with resources and support,” Henry said.
Eckles-Biggs believes absentee property owners, including those based outside Kansas City, are contributing to the problem.
“They got the funding because they teaming up together buying all this land and then the land goes unattended," she said. "And when it goes unattended that’s why we got all these houses in the city now tore up, they not fixed up. Not just in the inner city, all over. They all over."
As Kansas City moves forward with Fight the Blight, residents and neighborhood leaders will be watching to see whether the initiative leads to meaningful improvements and greater investment in their communities.
Residents can use the city's new website to report vacant properties, while property owners can find information about registering their vacant buildings.
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