26 N. Curley Street

Property address:  26 N. Curley Street, Baltimore, MD 21224

Property owner:  Joshua Adam Wodka, 2601 E. Fairmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Baltimore City Council district and contact:  District 1, Jim Kraft

City Housing Code Enforcement Attorney and contact:  Evan Helfrich, evan.helfrich AT baltimorecity.gov

This house is missing a roof and is boarded on both sides. The previous owner (Jesse Wodka) was taken to court in July 2008, but the case was dismissed after Jesse sold the house to another Wodka family member.  Apparently, Evan Helfrich never refiled a complaint against Joshua Wodka, despite the fact that no work has been done on this property since it was first cited.

156 N. Decker Avenue

Property address:  156 N. Decker Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Property owner:  Walter & Patricia Johnson, 6910B Windsor Mill Road, Baltimore, MD 21207

City Council District and contact:  District 1, James Kraft

On the surface, this property doesn’t look that bad, beyond the fact that it’s boarded up and vacant.  However, according to a neighbor, this has become a nuisance property — attracting drug addicts who hide in the rear yard.

We have had dumping in the past and have had 311 and a volunteer group out to clean it up twice. We frequently [see] drug users hanging out by the back door and shooting up.  There are definitely needles in the “yard” and I often kick people out of there.  [Kids] hang out on the steps constantly.  It’s been vacant as long as I’ve lived here (3 years).

Again, this illustrates the underlying problem with boarded-up homes, especially the ones owned by absentee investors.  Their properties end up being everyone else’s problem — between trash and crime — it’s an unacceptable situation, one that the City could fix, simply by enforcing the laws and making the penalties tougher.

156 N. Decker Avenue

Rear of 156 N. Decker Avenue

8 N. Ellwood Avenue

Property address:  8 N. Ellwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Property owner:  David & Deen Rotz, 5500 Cynthia Terrace, Baltimore, MD 21206

City Council District and contact:  District 1, Jim Kraft

8 N. Ellwood Avenue

This property owner has a court date of June the 16th — contact Jim Kraft and let him know that the house has been vacant for well over a year, and the condition has deteriorated in that time. There is a broken window on the second floor, and it’s an eyesore on an otherwise decent block.center

On The Docket

The Baltimore City Housing Department has an interesting search tool that you might not know about.  You can search for cases that have been referred to the Legal Section for court action.  You can either search by address or by neighborhood.  You can also use that page to search for outstanding violation notices, and the name and contact information for your local housing inspector. We wondered if any of the properties we’ve featured here have been the subject of legal action, or have any pending cases before the court — indeed, there are quite a few.  Here are two properties that have pending court dates associated with them:

701 Washington Boulevard:  Upcoming court date, 4/16/2009

2 N. Decker Avenue: Upcoming court date, 4/22/2009

If you want to make a difference in your community, write a “community impact statement” regarding these properties, and send them to the Housing Department, your City Councilperson, and your local housing inspector.  You can do this as an individual or as a community group.  State how these properties have negatively impacted your neighborhoods and what you would like to happen next.  Unless people get involved, the problem will only continue.  Slumlords get away with their crimes because they believe that nobody cares, nobody is looking.  Stand up for your neighborhood!

2 N. Decker Avenue

Our friends in Patterson Park are so helpful with slumlord reports!

Property address:  2 N. Decker Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Property owner:  David A. Fisher, P.O. Box 38316, Baltimore, MD 21231 (See also 3018 E. Baltimore Street, below.)

City Council District and Contact: District 1, James Kraft

Mr. Fisher owns quite a bit of property in Baltimore, most of which is vacant.  2 N. Decker Avenue is no exception.

2 N. Decker. Located just behind 3018 N. Baltimore. Had a fire years ago and still shows damage. The back is a junk yard (see photo). The property is often unsecured, both from the front and the back. The police were called to the property at the beginning of February because the front door was wide open at 10:00 at night. The inside of the house is filled with junk. Neighbors have called Fisher directly about this house, to no avail.

front of 2 n. decker avenue

rear of 2 n. decker avenue

3018 E. Baltimore Street

Another tip from our friends in Patterson Park:

Property address:  3018 E. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21224

Property owner:  David A. Fisher, P.O. Box 38316, Baltimore, MD 21231

CIty Council District and Contact: District 1, James Kraft

Our friends in Patterson Park tell us:

For years, this property had a wide and deep open pit in the back yard, which would have been easy for a pedestrian to fall into from the sidewalk. Thanks to pressure from Councilman Kraft and Delegate Hammen, the open hole was filled in last year. Unfortunately, the house remains vacant and blighted. Calls have been placed to Fisher directly by neighbors regarding this property. Deutsche Bank was listed as a purchaser for 3018 E Baltimore, but it appears that the purchase was voided (the court records show that the purchase was stricken). On the positive side, a bust of Elvis — yes, the King — has been spotted in the side window. Attached are photographs of the property and of the now-vanished pit, for posterity’s sake.

Mr. Fisher has two businesses registered to this address:  GPI 1214, LLC (charter was forfeited) and Fisher Moving, Hauling, and Demolition (trade name registration is current).

rear of 3018 e. baltimore street

hole in front of 3018 was filled in due to pressure from the city