[Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status

Wed May 6 22:09:06 EDT 2009

 The difference with this house is that the owner has claimed it as her primary residence when she (or anyone) can not live in it since 2004.  That's down right tax fraud.  Additionally, it went through the normal procedure of inspection, and the court ordered the owner to transfer, sell, or fix the property in Jan 2007.  The owner could have sold as is, but asked about three times the amount it was worth, and they ignored the court order.  So, when she refused to even bring it up to code (or secure it), which is the responsibility of any home owners in a civilized society, she refused, and the court held her in contempt in Nov of 2008.  

The city has not only lost out on lost tax revenue, but allowed an abandoned house to be claimed fraudulently as a residence.  The court ordered the homeowner to pay a $500 per day fine beginning in November for contempt of court, and the city needs to collect that from the owner or their estate.  I'm interested in finding out exactly where (and how) she lives while I smell her mold infested house next to mine, with what must be four feet of water in the basement.  

We had another long abandoned property on our block that was eventually claimed by the city, sold to a non-profit that did an outstanding job at renovation, and put it back on the tax rolls, provided city revenue from the sale, and put back into a safe environment for all.  The mere $1400 per year in taxes the owner of 300 Lorraine=2
0pays per year would be recouped by the transfer tax alone on a single deed transaction if the city were able to convey the house or even vacant lot.  

Paul Williams       

-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Fry <roderickpsu at gmail.com>
To: The Charles Village Chat List <chat at charlesvillage.info>
Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 8:50 pm
Subject: Re: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status

Or how about the fact that the city should be happy to receive any tax revenue from an abandoned house?  The majority of abandoned properties in the city are not generating any tax revenue.  Double this individual's tax bill, and they will likely stop paying their taxes.  This will drive the property into tax sale and, based on the the current shape it is in, will quite possibly become another city owned property.  Good luck finding a reporter that would do a story on this.  How about one of the other tens of thousands of abandoned properties that are not generating ANY tax revenue?

On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 8:43 PM,  <dawnacobb at mindspring.com> wrote:

Paul:How about going to one of the investigative news reporters at Channel 11 or one of the other stations?  Dawna

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

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com

Sent: May 6, 2009 8:13 PM

To: Chat at charlesvillage.info, Discussion at charlesvillage.info

Subject: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned ho
use status

 Believe it or not, NO reaction from our elected and government personnel to my Sunday rant about the contempt of court case concerning the abandoned house at 300 E Lorriane!  

I'm now interested in how much tax revenue we have all lost from this house continuing to be taxed at an owner occupied rate, when in fact, its been completely abandoned since 2004, and the owner has been in contempt of court for six months.  Despite a $500 per day fine imposed last November, she was allowed to pay property tax of just $650 in February: something is seriously out of sync in the city government, or the owner knows the right people at City Hall.  Paul             

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

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com

To: Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov; MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov; Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov; Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; Donna.Fairweather at baltimorecity.gov; mayor at baltimorecity.gov

Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 7:51 pm

Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status 

 Mayor Shelia Dixon:

I have been pressing, complaining, and following the court case concerning the clearly abandoned and rapidly deteriorating property at 300 E. Lorraine Street in Charles Village to no avail.  Sunday, I learned to my disgust, tha
t this blighted property is being taxed at the owner occupied rate: no one can, nor has, occupied the house since 2004=2
0(even the vagrants have run away).    

I notified the people I've been working with for two years now with modest to no success (in the to: line above) on Sunday, and NOT ONE has replied, not even a polite reply saying work is in progress, concerning the myriad ongoing problems outlined below, which have been previously reported over two years ago now.  

So I ask you as mayor: Why is this house being taxed as a resident occupied house after 5 years as an abandoned property, and why has her contempt of court case not been enforced a full year later?  The house was to have been torn down in December of 2007.  How can the tax office accept a tax payment in February of this year, when she is in contempt of court to transfer sell or demolish the house, as condemned, and accept her claim that it is owner occupied?  This is tax fraud, and the owner needs to be retroactively fined and taxed as an abandoned property.     

In my opinion, you all have failed us residents miserably, and I'm now going to the press20to expose this gross inaction.  Paul             

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

From: paul Williams <oldhousehistory at aol.com>

To: 'Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code20Enforcement Legal"' <Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov>; 'Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City)' <MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov>; 'Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"' <Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov>

Cc: 'Young, Bernard (Baltimore City)' <Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov>; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; 'Fairweather, Donna' <Donna.Fairweather at baltimorecity.gov>

Sent: Sun, 3 May 2009 8:04 pm

Subject: RE: 300 E. Lorraine Street

Ladies=2
0& 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 below).  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 cit
y 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 p
aid, 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=2
0the 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

CONFIDENTIALITY: This e-mail is confidential and
is intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is
p
rivileged, attorney work product or exempt from disclosure under applicable
law. If you have received=2
0this message in error, or are not the named
recipient(s), please immediately notify the sender and delete this e-mail
message from your computer. 

-----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
sho
uld 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 Baltimore)

<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 reportin
g 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 walls20are
collapsing.  Can something be done about this property?

Paul Williams

2629 Guilford Ave   

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