Eugene weekly., March 15, 2018, Page 13, Image 13

“We adopted the International Property Mainte-
nance Code (IPMC) to inform owners that they had 10
days to respond and register their home with the city
or face the possibility of receivership,” Medford Build-
ing Safety Director Sam Barnum says. “The only re-
quirement is that they clean up the property and that
they make it look livable.”
The city was still able to convert 47 boarded-
up, vacant homes into presentable, if not livable,
residences in just one year. This worked because of a
concerted effort by city government.
Baker, on the other hand, has been fighting alone.
Cottage Grove also has a zombie house problem.
The city’s Public Works and Development Director
Faye Stewart says, “When the city finds out
somebody’s illegally taken up residence, it doesn’t
have the authority to set foot on the property without
an absentee owner’s permission.”
theses homes off,” Cottage Grove City Manager
Richard Myers says. “Banks, however, are reluctant
to foreclose because, one, it damages the value of an
asset which can be lent against and, two, because they
are then on the hook for cleaning up the home and
could face fines if they do not do so.”
Without creative government solutions or
support from mortgage lenders, some neighborhood
associations have stepped up. The Jefferson Westside
Neighbors, for example, instituted a Zombie House
Initiative to make abandoned houses appear occupied.
This defense helps to keep out a persistent, hardcore
criminal presence.
“Most unhoused people are good people in
unfortunate situations, but once a house gets on the
radar of a criminal element, it’s difficult to ever get
squatters out,” council member Coopman says.
Once a house pops up on the radar, it’s easy to
TH E OW NER WAS WILLING TO SIG N
TH E D E E D OV E R FOR A DO LLAR,
J U S T TO B E RI D OF IT.
In a curious case of a festering home in Cottage
Grove, city officials were able to begin zombie house
cleanup with a bit of luck and creative thinking.
“We found out an absentee owner was in town. The
city attorney suggested we just lease the place,” Myers
says.
Leasing the vacant home for a dollar a month for
12 months, Cottage Grove cleared out squatters and
brought in dump trucks to remove multiple loads of
refuse.
“The goal for city officials is to get banks to auction
patrol it. Unless there is obvious illegal activity, though,
police can’t enter without a warrant. And until enough
complaints pile up to warrant a consistent watch, a
zombie house remains a neighborhood plague.
“There’s no way to know how many of these homes
still exist in Eugene because banks don’t let us know,”
says Eugene community service officer Kelly Putnam.
Putnam has become the city’s de facto zombie
house authority. Unless a city directs attention to
zombie houses, official responsibility often bounces
between municipal departments.
“These reports just kind of found their way to my
desk, and after we had success with abatement, all
zombie house cases now end up with me,” Putnam
says.
Any time a house is boarded up because of a code
violation involving drugs, gambling or prostitution,
Eugene allows one year to rehabilitate the property or
face abatement, appropriating ownership rights due
to continuous illegal activity at a residence.
“We’ve only had to go through a full abatement on
two homes — one over the course of three years and
one over five years. In almost all cases, we’ve been
able to negotiate with owners to clean the house up,”
Putnam says.
Banks will only communicate with mortgage
holders until forced otherwise. Cities, states and
renovators like Baker are left in the dark until they
choose to take action. Neighbors hope that Baker’s
action won't be for naught.
“He’s been a great addition to the community,”
says Lark Wadsworth, who lives behind Baker. “We
all hope that he can stay and that the house remains
occupied.”
In Baker’s backyard, a flock of fat brown, white and
orange chickens now cluck away in the coop where a
heroin addict once housed herself.
“The thing was full of used needles and underwear.
I took a high-powered magnet to the whole backyard
to make sure it was clear of needles so my kids could
play back here.”
He takes cautious steps, showing off what he plans
to do, hazel eyes shining. “The garage might be the
oldest structure on the property. I’d love to fix it up to
provide another residence back here,” Baker says.
Through it all, Baker remains optimistic.
“This house has been nothing but a blessing,”
Baker says. “It’s cost me an arm and a leg, but if we
get thrown out tomorrow, it would be worth all of the
blood and sweat that’s gone into it.” ■
eugeneweekly.com • March 15, 2018
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