The other reported problems that they Owners in that area are running into is that they are having the trouble of not making the deadlines that have been set by the city. This makes it even more stressful on the owner of the property. It might be cheaper and better in the long run to sell the propterty and then go on about your business and forget you ever had them. I mean if you really think about it the place is really a pain in the hind end, with everything that breaks, it almost is not worth the small amount of profit that you might see.
The proof is in the mix and we will see what the finished product is..
BSRanch
Property owners commit to group
JACKSON STREET: Rialto officials step up the pressure, but more signatures are needed.
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
RIALTO - Seven of 21 Jackson Street property owners signed letters stating their intention to form an association that's being pushed by the city to improve housing conditions and curb crime. Twenty of the property owners also should expect to be taken to court for not making mandated repairs in time for city inspections on July 7 and 8, according to early drafts of a city report. Both actions were taken following March's high-profile raids by police and building inspectors that highlighted the area's problems with illegal drugs and substandard housing. At that time, owners were handed lists of code violations and given a June 1 deadline to have them repaired. The deadline was extended to July for property owners who got work permits. This week, the seven letters were signed at a Tuesday meeting with city officials. Two other property owners said they would sign after reading the letters carefully, according to Chaz Ferguson, the city's chief building official. "I think the message was coming home to them better," he said. Eleven signatures are needed for the city's redevelopment agency to pay for attorney fees and get the association off the ground, Ferguson said. The deadline for all letters to be returned is Aug. 31. In the meantime, city officials will finish drafting the report that outlines results of the July inspections and indicates all but one of the owners will face court action, Ferguson said Jose Rodriguez, who owns seven buildings, said he signed because he had no choice. "I felt like if I didn't sign the city would put more pressure on us about the apartments we own," he said, "and the only way to stop that was to sign the letter." Rodriguez said he is hesitant about forming the association because it will be expensive. The cost to make all required repairs will be about $30,000 for each building, he said. The thought of having to pay lawyer fees to keep from losing his properties to a receiver was enough to make him sign, Rodriguez said. But showing the court they are committed to forming an association would be a good step, Ferguson said. Once the report on the second inspection is completed, officials will have a better idea about what to ask the court for each owner, he said. There are two options: ask for a receiver to take control of the property or ask for an injunction that would require an owner to have repairs completed by a set date. If the repairs aren't done, the owner would be fined, he said. However, owners still have about 90 days to do the work because that's how long it would take finish the report, have the city's lawyers review it and set a court date, Ferguson said. The city also is telling owners that another benefit to signing the letters is they would have a say on setting the rules for the association, Ferguson said. "Once the bylaws are filed in the state of California, then everyone who joins later doesn't get to go back and make new rules," Ferguson said. Mara Mallory Coronado, who owns a four-unit building, said she is considering the association. "The part about the city putting money up front to get this done is what I want to know more about," Coronado said. "I haven't quite grasped the whole picture yet." Some owners' concerns about losing control through the association or being faced with a manager who doesn't do his job are legitimate, Ferguson said. "But those issues can be best addressed by the attorney that would walk them through the process," he said. Dick Fleener, owner of a consulting firm that deals with neighborhood improvement, estimated it will take $1.5 million to make the improvements the city wants and to pay legal expenses. Some improvements include making the neighborhood a gated community, installing uniform landscaping, enclosing trash bins and transforming an empty lot into a recreation area. The goal is to have all property owners voluntarily agree to the association, Fleener said. If the city can get 66 percent to agree, a multi-family improvement district can be formed, he said. Through the district, the cost of making any improvements can be divided among all Jackson Street owners, Fleener said. That also would happen if 66 percent of them sign a petition supporting the proposed improvement. "If some owners decide they want to put in a bunch of landscaping or hire a security guard, they can put a plan together that says what those costs are and circulate a petition," Fleener said. To pay for improvements, the owner's property taxes would be increased to the amount needed. The county would collect those taxes and give them to the city, which then give them to the association to pay for repairs, Fleener said. "We would rather do it through the voluntary process because there is less administrative fees," he said. There will be another property owners' meeting with city officials Aug. 15 that will focus on moving forward with the association, Ferguson said. Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at 909-806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com
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