Seattle outlines legislation, timeline to demolish vacant buildings

The Seattle City Council took a step forward on legislation Tuesday that would grant authority to the Seattle Fire Department to tear down vacant, derelict buildings. The SFD chief said he is poised to act as soon as the emergency legislation goes into effect in May.
But, there may be a slight catch.
In a briefing before the public safety committee on Tuesday, SFD Chief Harold Scoggins pleaded with City Council for action on vacant buildings, noting his department responded to 130 fires in derelict structures in 2023 and is on pace to do the same this year.
Scoggins, along with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, have asked the City Council for authorization to change the code to allow the city to tear down problematic buildings and force the owners to pay for the mitigation.
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[@bugsz1]

Use it or lose it.

[@chanvalentine8283]

I thought the owner of the Vito's block was a low income provider??????

[@jackyflowers3493]

Vagrant and homeless. Time to go.

[@beaujohnson2021]

Knock it down and build quaint, affordable European style appts. ...heavily guarded, of course, to avoid the squatter nonsense.

[@WalkiTalki]

Why would they demolish empy buildings during a housing crisis? Before the terrorists started to destroy Seattle the city would take ownership of "problem" properties to use to fight drug dealing, homelessness or whatever need the population had at the time. Is this because DESC can make more money by building new buildings?

[@2bnor2b20]

Many of these buildings can not be saved. They could not be brought up to code. Even if the properties are historical, only the front wall is typically preserved.

[@onyx3856]

Send more money to Ukraine...that will solve it.

[@lordraydens]

plot twist: your politicians have money for both

[@georgetudhope408]

Stop destroying places to live

[@jackyflowers3493]

The street people are vandalizing them, and setting them on fire. They don't know how to live inside, anymore. Most of these people have gone feral.

[@lordraydens]

nice try, bub