
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 27, 1995                   TAG: 9507270049
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ATTACK THE BLIGHT IN ROANOKE RENTALS

ASSURING decent housing for all, including those of low and moderate income, is a puzzle with many pieces. One part of the solution is to reverse the housing deterioration that occurs too frequently in places, like Roanoke, with large inventories of older units.

A boost toward filling in this piece of the puzzle would be an inspection program for rental units in inner-city neighborhoods. On Monday night, the city and the Roanoke Regional Housing Network will hold a citizens' workshop as part of a process that could lead to such inspections.

The basic idea is simple enough: Before a vacant apartment would be eligible for rerental, it would have to pass a city inspection by meeting certain standards of health and safety. Such inspections, authorized by recent General Assembly legislation, already are in place in several Virginia cities, including Lynchburg and Charlottesville. Salem has a similar program.

But a workable initiative must also get the discretionary details right. How high should minimum standards be set? For how long should an inspection be valid in the event of future vacancies? What parts of the city should be covered? The aim of the workshop, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke's Old Southwest neighborhood, is to tap citizens' experience and expertise in trying to answer those and other questions.

Landlords obviously have an interest in the issue - although those who strive to keep their property in good condition may well view things differently from those who seek only short-term income without regard to the long-term impact of allowing the property to deteriorate.

Landlords, though, aren't the only ones who should take notice. Tenants have an interest in ensuring and enlarging the stock of affordable rental units that meet basic standards. Homeowners and prospective homeowners in older sections of the city have an interest in the condition of neighboring rental property.

For that matter, all Roanokers and residents of the region have an interest in curtailing inner-city blight. The social costs of slums are high, and must be borne by everyone. So, too, must the economic costs if dilapidated property is allowed to destabilize sizable sections of the city.

Today, the proportion of substandard housing is spreading; the goal should be to shrink it. A rental-unit inspection program could prove a useful tool in doing that.

by CNB