LOWELL -- During the past year, city officials and nonprofit organizations have watched city streets become gap-toothed with vacant buildings.
From Jan 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, Lowell has seen 457 housing foreclosures.
"This affects all of us," said Frank Carvalho, a vice president of Enterprise Bank, who cochairs the city's Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. "These buildings drag down property values in their neighborhoods, they become targets for criminal activity, and they reduce the city's tax base."
Last night, city officials made a move to crack down on landlords who abandon their properties. City councilors unanimously passed an ordinance requiring owners of foreclosed homes to register with the city, pay $100 a year, and inspect the home monthly to make sure it's maintained. Violators can face fines of up to $300 a week on each neglected regulation.
Ann Marie Paige, a member of the Centralville Neighborhood Action Group, praised the action, saying it would hold landlords' feet to the fire as "they devalue the other properties."
Paige pointed out that her neighborhood of Centralville has the highest rate of foreclosures in the city, at 103.
The ordinance also requires that the name and 24-hour contact phone number of the local individual or property-management company responsible for maintenance be attached to the property. The sign must be clearly visible from the street.
City Councilor James Milinazzo, also a member of the foreclosure task force, said the signs are meant to connect concerned neighbors with someone close to home because often, the property owner can be based out of another state.
City officials also are keeping an eye on a list of troubled properties, and sending out fliers alerting homeowners to local financial counseling services.