Community Corner

More Towns Fighting Blight

Ridgefield is crafting a blight ordinance as other towns adopt their own or consider strengthening existing blight ordinances.




Danbury fought blight since the mid-2000's, and back then the problem was illegal apartments. Today the problem is just the opposite, abandoned houses in every town. 

Ridgefield is considering a blight ordinance, Brookfield may expand its Blighted Building ordinance, and Bethel passed its blight ordinance in 2012 after two public hearings. First selectmen are quick to say these ordinances do not guarantee any quick fixes. Blight is a long-term problem.

Danbury's problem with blight dates back to at least 2004, when the city created the Illegal Apartment Task Force. The city didn't have many abandoned homes nine years ago.

"Blight wasn't an issue. Every possible corner of every house was rented out. People were living in attics and basements," recalls Sean Hearty, who worked on the city's task force when it started. "We had people living in sheds with crop heaters. We found people living in garages. We found a crib in a garage. We had to call Children and Families."

In May 2004, the task force issued six cease and desist orders on illegal apartments in one week. In one house seven people lived in an illegal attic apartment and another seven lived in an illegal basement apartment. Building and health codes only allow such apartments if people have two safety exits from a basement or attic apartment. They must be inspected to be approved. The illegal apartments had never been inspected or approved, and they violated zoning, building, health, and fire codes. People were wiring illegal apartments, including space heaters and air conditioners, with stereo speaker wires, a very dangerous fire hazard.

"It was amazing we didn't have people dying," Hearty said. He said today, the UNIT is working on abandoned houses, the opposite problem the city had in 2004. Jeff Preston, who both welcomes people to Danbury City Hall and works for the UNIT, said finding the exact person who manages an "abandoned" property sometimes takes months. In some cases, no one is responsible, because the property isn't owned by the person who lost it to foreclosure and the bank hasn't won title yet in court.

In Ridgefield, the problem is centered on abandoned homes, said First Selectman Rudy Marconi. He isn't interested in how short someone cuts their lawn. Ridgefield's list of abandoned houses includes one at 28 Catoonah St., next to the Post Office downtown, about 100 yards from Town Hall.

Today 28 Catoonah St., has an attic window missing, another window boarded up, and the roof and siding appear to be leaking. The ownership is questionable. The Benenson Funding Corp. appears to have shifted its ownership of what Ridgefield knows as the Cummings house to a limited liability corporation care of Benenson in New York City. 

Marconi said one blighted house can hurt property values in a neighborhood.

"It was because of the number of complaints the selectmen were getting," said Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker. He said before setting up its ordinance, Bethel held two public hearings and considered more than a dozen complaints from people who said their neighbor's house was dragging down property values in the whole neighborhood. "The selectmen approved it unanimously."

Knickerbocker said Bethel has some abandoned houses, but it also suffers from homes where people accumulate trash outside, where they abandon cars or old construction equipment or they use their residential property for commercial equipment storage.

"What we hear is, 'I'll never be able to sell my house as long as this is next door,'" Knickerbocker said. That lowers home prices.

Brookfield First Selectman Bill Davidson said Brookfield's blighted building ordinance doesn't go far enough. Today's blight problem isn't limited to buildings. 

"We need a broader, stronger ordinance," Davidson said. He said the selectmen have started talking to the Town Attorney about expanding the blight ordinance. "We have health officials working on it, building officials can work on it."

Danbury's problem with blight dates back to at least 2004, when the city created the Illegal Apartment Taskforce. The city didn't have many abandoned homes nine years ago.

"Blight wasn't an issue. Every possible corner of every house was rented out. People were living in attics and basements," recalls Sean Hearty, who worked on the city's taskforce when it started. "We had people living in sheds with crop heaters. We found people living in garages. We found a crib in a garage. We had to call Children and Families."

In May 2004, the taskforce issued six cease and desist orders on illegal apartments in one week. In one house seven people lived in an illegal attic apartment and another seven lived in an illegal basement apartment. Building and health codes only allow such apartments if people have two safety exits from a basement or attic apartment. They must be inspected to be approved. The illegal apartments had never been inspected or approved, and they violated zoning, building, health, and fire codes. People were wiring illegal apartments, including space heaters and air conditioners, with stereo speaker wires, a very dangerous fire hazard.

"It was amazing we didn't have people dying," Hearty said. He said today, the UNIT is working on abandoned houses, the opposite problem the city had in 2004. Jeff Preston, who both welcomes people to Danbury City Hall and works for the UNIT, said finding the exact person who manages an "abandoned" property sometimes takes months. In some cases, no one is responsible, because the property isn't owned by the person who lost it to foreclosure and the bank hasn't won title yet in court.


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