Abandoned properties swell in south Idaho
Boost in foreclosures fuels problem
Monday, December 1, 2008 10:04 AM PST
NAMPA (AP) — Some residents in southwest Idaho cities are having to deal with unsightly weeds, trash and fire hazards because of a sharp rise in foreclosures and abandoned homes.
The number of properties in Caldwell that the city has had to clean up or put liens on due to code violations has more than quadrupled to 219 so far this year, officials said. In some cases, work on entire subdivisions has stalled.
That has lead to nearby residents complaining about tumbleweeds blowing into their yards.
‘‘We a lot of times get complaints from people that live in the area,’’ Caldwell Police Cpl. Celle Sperry said.
Some residents are concerned about fire.
‘‘’My house is going to burn down because of the weeds,’’’ he said some homeowners tell him.
Police say another problem is that vacant homes become targets for theft, particularly for copper tubing.
The abandoned subdivisions in Caldwell have forced the city to hire contractors to cut weeds and clean up trash on acres of land.
‘‘Foreclosures are bad and I don’t see it getting any better next year,’’ said Kevin Worrell, a Canyon County code enforcement officer.
He said weeds have grown as high as 6 feet on some uninhabited properties. Glen Benedict lives near one of the stalled developments in Caldwell where mounds of dirt have sprouted with weeds.
‘‘If that ever caught fire, it is probably going to burn my house down,’’ Benedict said.
In nearby Nampa, officials there said they’ve also seen a spike in problems and have dealt with 42 foreclosed properties, compared to 18 at this time last year.
Craig Davidson, the code enforcement supervisor for Nampa, said many of the foreclosures in that city have occurred in mid- to high-end subdivisions. He said one bank has hired a property management company to keep the subdivisions from becoming overgrown and dilapidated.
‘‘It hasn’t increased our budget expense because we’ve been getting more voluntary compliance,’’ Davidson said.
