[Chat] 300 Lorraine - Abandoned House

Mon May 4 12:23:40 EDT 2009

See my rant about 300 E. Lorraine Street, an abandoned and
rapidly deteriorating house I’ve been complaining about for years.  I’m
getting no action from our elected officials, nor our city employees. 
They have not only let me down, but cost the city tens of thousands in lost tax
revenue: despite its condemnation classification, its taxed as a principal
residence rate.  The court ordered its demolition in December of
2007!  I’ve learned today that the owner claims it as her principal residence,
and it’s been taxed as such since 2003.

It’s completely uninhabitable, as the court found, and was
ordered razed 17 months ago.  So how does the city classify it as her
principal residence, accept her tax payment of just $650 in February of this year,
when no one has been inside since 2004?  Its not had rain gutters since
2004, and all rain water from the roof pours directly inside the kitchen from
the back wall: the windows are so black with mold you can’t see inside
anymore.  

Paul Williams

2629 Guilford Ave   

An email I sent yesterday to officials supposedly tracking the
situation, with prior emails below!:

Ladies & Gentlemen!

I’ve been patiently waiting for
information from you all on this ongoing problematic vacant house (now full of
mold) which I’ve been complaining about for years (see=2
0below).  I had
hoped to find resolution to the problem through the normal channels, as the
court system was making progress in her contempt case.    Today,
I watched the rain pour into the basement from the back roof and noticed that
the windows are so black with mold one can’t see inside.  

When I went to look the house up
today (300 E. Lorraine – Square 3837, lot 66) on the real property tax
database, imagine my anger at finding that the owner not only paid her taxes in
February (on a condemned house where she is in contempt of court), but that she
LISTED THE HOUSE AS HER PRICIPAL RESIDENCE.  And, she got the residential
tax rate (about $1400 per year), which I’m sure she has obviously been getting
for several years, even with condemnation proceedings now over two years
old.  Nobody can, or has, lived in the house since 2004.  

We moved into an adjoining house
facing the shared alley in 2003.  Even the illegal vagrants moved out in
2004 because of the deteriorated condition.   How can the city allow
someone to claim this condemned property as her principal residence?  She
was found in contempt of court, and was subject to a $500 per day fine
beginning in November of 2008.    

I was assured action by my
elected officials for several years now, and thought our communication last
November ensured that this house be torn down.  Now I need to expose 
this
illegal and embarrassing theft from our city coffers, and I intend on
doing so by any public means possible, beginning with the media on Tuesday
morning, unless I hear from you with its current status, the house is scheduled
to be torn down, her $500 per day fine is being paid, and she will be taxed
retro-actively at the vacant rate; or otherwise assured that my city officials
are doing their job.   

Paul 

Paul
K. Williams

2629
Guilford Avenue

Baltimore,
MD 21218

BaltimoreMarylandHistory.com

From: Hessler, Jason,
"Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal" [mailto:Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov]

Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:35 PM

To: oldhousehistory at aol.com; Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City);
Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"

Cc: Young, Bernard (Baltimore City); ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; Fairweather,
Donna

Subject: RE: 300 E. Lorraine Street

Mr.
Williams:

The
file was requested from the field and a contempt case was filed against Ms.
Neal to enforce the court order that required her to raze, rehabilitate or
transfer 300 E.  Lorraine.  I have not seen the returns from the
District Court but we expect the initial hearing to be on November 25th,
501 E. Fayette Street between 8:30 a.m. -12p.m.  Generally in a contempt
case the court would provide the owner with a deadline to comply with the
original order.  A daily fine automatically applies (usually $500 per
day)
if the owner fails to meet the deadline.  We will contact you
when we have confirmed the court date.

Jason
Hessler, Esquire 

Acting Director

Baltimore
Housing 

Code
Enforcement Legal Section 

417 E. Fayette
Street, #202 

Baltimore,
Maryland 21202 

410-396-4140

Fax
410-385-8689 

www.baltimorehousing.org 

-----Original
Message-----

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com [mailto:oldhousehistory at aol.com]

Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:21 PM

To: Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City); Braverman, Michael "Deputy
Commissioner"; Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code Enforcement
Legal"

Cc: Young, Bernard (Baltimore City); ugagrad93 at yahoo.com

Subject: Re: 300 E. Lorraine Street

Gentlemen;  Its been more than two weeks since our
inquiry, and Mary Pat nor I have heard even one email from you regarding this
property.  

I'm rapidly going from a concerned citizen to an angry citizen.  The
property was ordered by the court to be torn down nearly a year ago.  Taxpayers
are losing money as it is listed as owner occupied in the tax rolls for the
past 5 years, when in fact, its abandoned and uninhabitable.  It should
prove to make for an interesting story to the media.  

Paul Williams   

-----Original Message-----

From: Clarke, Mary Pat <MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov>

To: Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner" (City of Baltimore)
<Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov>; Hessler, Jason, "Acting
Director, Code Enforcement Legal" (City of=2
0Baltimore) <Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov>

Cc: Young, Bernard <Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov>;
oldhousehistory at aol.com

Sent: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 9:26 am

Subject: FW: 300 E. Lorraine Street

Dear Mr. Braverman and Mr. Hessler,

Could you please let us know the status of this property? When will
it be either fixed or demolished? Thanks, Mary Pat (In Councilman Young’s
district.)

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com [mailto:oldhousehistory at aol.com] 

Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:48 PM

To: Clarke, Mary Pat; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com

Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street

Mary Pat!

I've been reporting and following the case of 300 E. Lorraine Ave, a house that
is abandoned and sits right behinds ours.  It is still listed and taxed as
being owner occupied, despite its roof now having caved in, with all the roof
water headed to the basement.  It has slowly gone through the legal
process and was supposed to be fixed up or torn down by December 2007!

Alas, its still extant, and emails to the legal department go unanswered. 
It now if full of mold due to the water infiltration, and the rear walls are
collapsing.  Can something be done about this property?

Paul Williams

2629 Guilford Ave   

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