Two more abandoned houses have been demolished as part of the City of Redding’s increased focus on removing blighted properties in our community. The houses were at 2550 Victor Avenue and 2353 Court Street. The Victor house had been abandoned since at least March 2014, and suffered a structure fire in September 2014, which seriously damaged the house. The Court Street house had been abandoned since at least December 2013, and suffered a structure fire in April 2014, which also badly damaged the structure.
Both houses had been frequented by transients and caused serious blight in both neighborhoods. Due to lack of action on the part of the property owners, City of Redding Code Enforcement officers had to complete an extensive administrative action process, including going through an Administrative Hearing for each property, to obtain legal authority to demolish the houses as public nuisances.
Both demolitions were completed yesterday by a demolition contractor, Walberg, Inc. Jim Figan, the foreman for Walberg, Inc., noted he found a large amount of hypodermic syringes strewn throughout the house on Victor Avenue. In January 2015, a transient died inside the Court Street house, apparently of an overdose.