Demolition by neglect: New task force aims to close preservation loophole

A new task force is working to address what some see as a loophole in the city’s historic preservation policies: the issue of “demolition by neglect.”

Launched in September by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission (JHPC), the Demolition by Neglect Task Force has been charged with reviewing existing procedures pertaining to the historic preservation of buildings and creating a report with recommendations on how to address the issue, which occurs when a property’s owner allows it to deteriorate to the point that demolition is the only option. That report is due by Jan. 31, 2025.

JHPC Chair Michael Montoya noted that while city code details the required affirmative maintenance of historic structures, there is no policy expressly discussing demolition by neglect. He added that while crafting such a policy would likely fall under the purview of the city council, he hopes the task force can help craft proactive steps to address neglected properties before demolition is their only option.

“If the property has gotten to a point where it’s not recoverable, it’s just the hardest thing we have to vote on,” Montoya said.

Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) Executive Director Shannon Blankinship said demolition by neglect falls between the two existing prongs of the preservation of historic properties: On one end of the spectrum is a certificate of appropriateness (COA), which property owners must submit in order to make alterations, repairs or to demolish a historic property. COAs are considered by the JHPC and enforced by code enforcement officers if the work being done falls outside of the approved COA.

On the other end of the spectrum is when a property has deteriorated to the point of posing a nuisance or a threat to the public’s health and safety.

“Specifically for our neighborhood, it’s a situation that needs to be remedied,” Blankinship said. “Because we do have dozens of properties in the neighborhood where if we were to give it 10 years, we could see them needing to be demolished.”

Requests for demolition

Between January and September of this year, JHPC has considered seven requests for demolition. While Montoya could not say definitively if this number is an increase, he did say it felt like there has been an uptick in demolition requests.

One of those requests, approved in June, involved a 110-year-old home in Riverside, which District 7 City Council Member Jimmy Peluso said was a “classic example” of demolition by neglect.

“We only want to do that when it’s truly in the best interest of the neighborhood and when we’ve given the property owner enough opportunities to do something,” Peluso said.

Jacksonville History Center CEO Dr. Alan Bliss, who spoke at the first task force meeting, emphasized the economic value historic structures provide to present-day Jacksonville.

“This is not an obsession with nostalgia or the touchy feely impulse to preserve things just because they are old,” Bliss said. “It contributes to the economic strength of the city. It contributes to the capacity of the real property tax rolls and supports Jacksonville’s economic growth.”

The task force will hear from subject matter experts and advisors as it progresses, including staff from the Municipal Code Compliance Division, the Planning and Development Department and local preservation organizations like RAP and Springfield Preservation and Revitalization.

Peluso said he hopes to see policy that balances respect for property rights while also preserving and respecting the historic neighborhoods in which those properties stand.

“I want a policy that exists where we’re doing things in the best interest of the neighborhood, and the historical integrity of our neighborhoods,” he said, “while also making sure that we’re not doing something that’s in the best interest of delinquent or bad property owners.”