EDITORIAL: Don’t undermine property rights with demolition plan

Las Vegas city officials made clear this week that they’ll seek more power to demolish abandoned structures they believe pose a threat to the community. But any proposed changes to current policy must respect the property rights of owners.

The City Council on Wednesday heard that there are scores of vacant buildings throughout the city that have numerous problems and might be candidates for demolition.

“I know in some wards we have buildings that have been up for a long time,” code enforcement manager Vicki Ozuna said, “they’ve had multiple fires, multiple boardings and unfortunately it just doesn’t meet the criteria for us to be able to take it down because it’s not burned enough.”

The issue seems particularly acute in Ward 3, which includes portions of downtown and neighborhoods on the east side between Charleston and Owens. City officials identified 150 cases of dilapidated and potentially dangerous buildings in the ward last year, more than 57 percent of the city’s problem structures.

“A lot of these types of buildings become magnets for vagrants and that type of activity,” Ms. Ozuna told the Council, “so it’s a challenge sometimes to keep them boarded, keep them secure until we can actually get the building down.”

City Manager Jose Cervantes said current standards for demolition — adopted in 1995 and reflecting the guidance of the International Code Council — are outdated. “It’s a different world than it was 25 years ago,” he said.

Few would dispute that. But how does the passage of time translate into greatly expanding the city’s authority to raze properties? The current standards include 19 criteria that can lead to condemnation, including extensive damage, crumbling walls and missing exit pathways. What revisions do city officials have in mind? It’s worth noting that, in many instances, municipalities over the years have abused their powers of eminent domain by labeling properties as “blighted” or “dangerous” as part of a scheme to promote economic development.

There is an existing legal process for condemnation, which should always be a last step. That said, many abandoned properties can indeed become dangerous and pose a threat, particularly as fire hazards. If Las Vegas is experiencing an increase in such structures, city officials might begin by more aggressively tracking down owners in hopes of reaching resolutions involving individual properties. Where that doesn’t work, having code officers more regularly and thoroughly document problems at specific sites would hasten the process necessary for condemnation.

The frustration of residents and city officials is understandable. We’ll await the specifics. But in seeking to make it easier to tear down neglected structures, the city mustn’t run roughshod over property rights.