Editor’s Comments: Vacant Lots, Empty Houses

It’s one more sign of the times: abandoned building sites across the country, with homes and commercial developments half finished and on hold. In some cases the land has been cleared but little else has been done. Erosion and sediment control BMPs, if they were put in place at all, are often in disrepair.

The tough financial times for builders come just as they are facing the EPA’s proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines, which would impose much tighter (and more expensive) controls on runoff from construction sites in many parts of the country. The final guidelines are expected to be released in December (see a summary of them here). At their most stringent, they call for a limit of 13 nephelometric turbidity units on runoff from some sites, and even sites not subject to the 13-NTU limit would face tighter sediment control standards.

Many developers have said that the additional costs to implement the new standards will be prohibitive-they say they can’t sell new homes at the prices they’re asking now, with the glut of existing homes sitting empty. What’s worse in the long run, though, is the fact that any water-quality benefit we see from the tougher effluent guidelines just might be offset by the number of sites with no erosion and sediment controls whatsoever in place.

Cities do have tools to ensure sites aren’t just abandoned: Many require bonds from developers to guarantee that public improvements—which are often made necessary in the first place by the new developments—will be completed. If the streets, sidewalks, storm drains, curbs and gutters, and various utilities aren’t put in place, the developer defaults on the bond. This has been a rare occurrence until recently. North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County recently reported it has had developers default on more than two and a half million dollars worth of bonds-30 in total-and the problem is growing, there and elsewhere.

Other traditional tools cities use, such as placing a lien on the property or withholding certificates of occupancy, don’t work when the property is in foreclosure or when no structures that could be occupied have actually been completed.

As reported in the Envirocert International column in our July/August issue, some jurisdictions, such as Montgomery County, MD, have started to require phased installation of permanent stormwater BMPs—perhaps more costly for the developers than installing permanent stormwater measures all at once when the project is finished, but extra insurance for the county in case the entire project isn’t finished at all, or in case it’s delayed. And Charlotte, NC, has understandably stepped up its efforts to inspect sites and get them stabilized.

Are you seeing an increase in abandoned or neglected sites in your area? What steps have local authorities taken to address the problem? Share your experiences here.