The annual In-Rem City auction is approaching. First time homebuyers will be at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center from October 27 thru the 29th looking for a bargain while current owners seek to buy a vacant lot next door. Investors, both good and bad, will be there as well. And residents throughout the city hope the problem properties in their neighborhood find responsible new owners.
As of last Wednesday, there were 4,800 properties on the auction list, 1,384 are vacant lots. The In Rem auction is run by the Assessment and Taxation Department to recover unpaid property taxes, garbage user fees, water utility bills, or sewer rents by selling the property. In addition to properties delinquent for taxes this year, many of those that were not sold last year are on the list again. Properties can be redeemed by their owners by paying up before or even on the auction date, and many do.
Two properties in the West Village are examples of the hope and disappointment that is the In Rem auction.
The historic property at 102 Johnson Park was on the auction list a few weeks ago. Neighbors were hopeful that it would stay there to get it out of the hands of the current owner, Charles Dobucki. He has owned the property since 1992 when he paid $26,000 for the place. It’s been vacant the whole time much to the chagrin of residents of the Johnson Park neighborhood. He says he is willing to sell, if you want to pony up $250,000 for a building that has not had electricity for years.
The next door neighbor, tired of neglectful Dobucki, maintains the yard of the property and even landscapes the back to participate in Garden Walk. Too bad the City of Good Neighbors is not always a two-way street. That moan heard in the West Village last week? Dobucki made payment arrangements and the property is off the auction list. It looks like 102 Johnson Park will sit some more.
At the nearby corner of Whitney Place and Carolina Street, neighbors remain hopeful a problem property gets a capable new owner. The three-story, 4,120 sq.ft., 12-room boarding house remains on the auction list. It has been a nuisance for years and has been owned by Efraim Ullman since 2009.
“I moved to Whitney Place in 2009,” says Jamin Glasgow. “At first, the neighbors at 69 Whitney seemed quiet, although it seemed strange that there was oftentimes a line of idling cars on Carolina Street waiting for someone to come out to them. In the warmer months, there was always seemed to be a few people sitting on the side and rear porches, harassing everyone who walked by. I did my best to be friendly, but it was very frustrating for me and my friends. It got to the point that friends were hesitant to visit.”
“Eventually, I met Marilyn Rogers and Anne Gareis on Johnson Park, who had been experiencing issues with the overflow from 69 Whitney onto Johnson Park, and their own issues with a boarding house on their street,” says Glasgow. “Marilyn established a West Village communications board, and we learned that there was a large contingent of people in the entire neighborhood experiencing issues with 69 Whitney. We started sharing experiences, taking photographs, and organizing calls to the police, filing 311 complaints, and eventually we were able to get police attention on the house.”
“Next, we got our Councilman David Franczyk involved, who actually showed up based on our clearly documented and organized complaints,” explains Glasgow. “We eventually got the boarding house license for 69 Whitney in question in Buffalo Housing Court. Several neighbors rallied and organized attendance at multiple court sessions. While going through the court proceedings and continuing to make police calls for illegal activity, we faced vandalism and other activities that seemed to be a direct response to intimidate us for our actions against 69 Whitney. House windows were broken, cars vandalized repeatedly, and the verbal harassment intensified.”
Eventually, the neighborhood won the legal battle to shut down the boarding house in 2012. According to Glasgow, crime reduced dramatically within weeks. Illegal drug sales and vandalism plummeted.
Since the property was vacated, the neighborhood has only improved. New owners and investors continue to transform nearby blocks.
“The neighborhood continues to have a very cohesive communication network and teams up to battle each new obstacle that faces the neighborhood,” says Glasgow. “The Buffalo Police continue to patrol our neighborhood regularly, and are very responsive to any calls that we make. They participate in community meetings and the communication boards.”
Neighbors agree the best thing for the area is not a vacant building but a rehabbed property. Having the property sell at auction is dicey.
The city implemented new guidelines a few years ago aimed at suppress flipping. People who buy properties at the auction must sign affidavits promising not to sell for more than 120 percent of the bid price for at least six months.
West Village residents are hoping for the best.
“Sixty-nine Whitney is a highly-visible property on a busy street,” says Glasgow. “It is the last vestige of the darkest days of the West Village and needs a new owner. The building is begging to be redeveloped to join the downtown and West Village renaissance.”