Clear boards proposed for abandoned houses

City department hopes to increase safety with new product

Julie Smith/News Tribune
This is an example of polycarbonate windows in use on a residential structure. The material replaced plywood on the once-boarded-up windows.
Julie Smith/News Tribune This is an example of polycarbonate windows in use on a residential structure. The material replaced plywood on the once-boarded-up windows.

With 112 properties on Jefferson City's abandoned house registry as of Friday, the city is proposing ways to deter owners from abandoning their properties, as well as enhance the safety of their neighborhoods.

During Thursday's Jefferson City Public Works and Planning Committee meeting, Jayme Abbott, the city's neighborhood services coordinator, proposed amending the city code to allow use of clear polycarbonate sheeting instead of plywood to secure abandoned structures. The city's policy regarding abandoned buildings currently requires property owners or the city to use plywood.

The polycarbonate sheeting, also called clear board, looks similar to glass but is difficult to destroy and tear off, unlike plywood. It can also be reused multiple times, which Abbott said can make up for the more expensive cost. The polycarbonate sheeting would cost approximately $115 per 4-by-8-foot sheet.

Abbott said the clear board will not "advertise" the property is vacant, which could reduce crime. If an individual sees a property boarded up, it indicates the property is vacant, which could lead to break-ins and illegal activities in the abandoned structure.

Jefferson City resident Scotti Cobb lives near two abandoned homes on Green Berry Road and said the neighbors have called the police several times about feral animals, the property being unkept and recently about individuals breaking into the buildings. She said the plywood on the house was a "blinking light" to criminals and created an eye sore in the neighborhood.

"It looks like downtown St. Louis, and nobody wants to live next to something like that. It wouldn't be something you would desire," Cobb said, adding she would prefer the clear board to the plywood.

In July 2016, a blight study about the East Capitol Avenue Redevelopment area - the area between Adams and Lafayette streets and State and High streets that contains several abandoned houses - was released. At the time of the field visits, the neighborhood had experienced 142 crimes since 2008, a "significant number that represents an unsafe neighborhood (or is at least perceived to be)."

Sonny Sanders, director of the city's planning and protective services department, said having one noticeably abandoned house in an area can create a ripple effect, leading to other houses in the area being abandoned. This also influences crime because individuals can break into one vacant house and, once the police are called, move on to the next abandoned house in the area.

If emergency personnel respond to a call at an abandoned house, the clear board will provide more safety. Dave Helmick, the city's housing and property inspector, has been to several abandoned houses with police officers and said the plywood prevents sunlight from entering the structure - which can be dangerous since these properties might have holes in the floors, ceilings caving in and other safety hazards.

"When I went in (to an abandoned building) with (the police department), the windows were boarded up, so we had flashlights, but you don't know what's in there. You don't know what you're getting into, and there's no way to know," Helmick said.

Jefferson City Fire Department spokesman Jason Turner said the department wants the polycarbonate sheeting not only because it protects firefighters but because it can make locating a fire and anyone inside the house easier.

Plywood typically reduces the property value of neighboring buildings, as well as adding blight to the property and neighborhood. The polycarbonate sheeting could help surrounding property values by reducing blight and crime in the neighborhood, Abbott said.

According to the East Capitol Avenue Redevelopment Area blight study, the property values for 102 of 116 properties in the area either declined or did not increase between 2007-15. Even though 14 properties increased in property value by 1.3 percent annually, the assessed value for the area declined by 11 percent.

The report found the overall decline in assessed value for the 35 properties that experienced a decline was 2.6 percent annually. The 35 properties lost a total of $778,000 in assessed value between 2007-15.

If the polycarbonate sheets are approved, city staff said, they hope some of the abandoned buildings will be sold and renovated.

"If we're able to remove part of that blight by adding this product that looks like windows, we could stabilize our neighborhoods, stabilize property values, not only for the actual property but for the surrounding properties, because nobody wants to see plywood go up on the property next door to you," Abbott said.

The changes, approved by Public Works and Planning Committee, will be presented to the City Council on July 17. If the proposal passes, Abbott said, city staff will implement a date when polycarbonate sheeting will be required for abandoned or vacant houses.

If a vacant property currently has plywood, the city will not force owners to replace it with clear board. However, if the amendment passes, properties that experience break-ins or illegal activity and have plywood will have to replace it with the clear polycarbonate sheeting.

About two or three abandoned houses are boarded up per week, either by the property owners or the city, Helmick said.