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City Buys Dangerous Building, Relocates Tenants
13 Jul
Summary
- City spent $8,000 to relocate tenants from unsafe Thompson Avenue building.
- New law requires landlords to provide relocation aid for dangerous properties.
- Out-of-state landlord deeded the property to the city instead of repairing.
In Anchorage, the city incurred approximately $8,000 in relocation costs for tenants of the Thompson Avenue building, with plans for its demolition and redevelopment. This situation arose after the building was declared dangerous and uninhabitable. A recent city ordinance, passed last October, requires property owners to financially assist tenants if their rental is deemed unsafe or uninhabitable by the city.
The Thompson Avenue property's out-of-state landlord chose to transfer ownership to the municipality rather than undertake extensive repairs. This unusual step shifted the responsibility for relocating the three occupied households to the city. Scott Campbell, the city's chief of inspections, described the implementation of the new tenant relocation laws as a "build the plane as we're flying it" process, indicating ongoing adjustments.
Conditions at the Thompson Avenue building, including a non-operational boiler, exposed electrical splices, and missing safety features, were severe. Municipal staff reported over 50 calls to police and fire departments regarding criminal activity and abandoned vehicles at the site in the prior year. The city plans to demolish the building and sell the land to a developer for new housing construction.
