Developer will not have to repair Spanish Town homes
A developer will not have to repair the homes he owns in a historic Baton Rouge neighborhood.
The Historic Preservation Commission cited Richard Preis for "demolition by neglect" and wanted him to repair the Spanish Town properties.
The HPC said seven homes owned by Preis were so run down that they presented structural and health problems. The commission lifted the citation because there was a question about the inspection reports.
Another developer wanted to erect an apartment complex where the houses stand but neighbors were adamantly opposed. They felt it would disrupt the "feel" of the area.
Preis thinks the commission's definition of "demolition by neglect" needs to be more specific.
"They cannot hurt a landowner because theirs process is bad," said Preis. "That's what I have to address with my attorney because we will go forward in some fashion."
The HPC is looking to make the "demolition by neglect" citation more specific. Preis says he's going back to the drawing board after losing at least one investor worth $100 million.
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Spanishtowner at Dec 2nd 2009 10:44 AM
This story misses the point of the HPC's action, which is that the HPC had imposed the citation of demolition by neglect based on poorly substantiated evidence of the houses' condition in a report and recommendation issued to the HPC by the Planning Commission. The recommendation, in turn, had been based on an inspection report sought and paid for by the developer, which was used in an effort to show that the houses should be demolished. Somewhere in there the phrase "serious health and safety issues" cropped up in the staff recommendation, although the houses were (and are) occupied and the owner is receiving rent. The Planning Commission staff could not substantiate the safety issues claim during questioning at yesterday's hearing, and rather than base the demolition by neglect citation on faulty evidence provided to it, the Historic Preservation Commission rescinded the citation.