There are 30 article(s) tagged Blight:

• March 2025

  • City Council sets early start to budget season in return from spring break

    The council also voted on a slate of ordinances, including a $300 fee to go with the tax bill of owners of blighted properties the city has to clean up.

    By Bill Dries March 18, 2025

  • Opinion: It’s time to deal with neglectful property owners

    “We have over 10,000 abandoned homes in disrepair, with overgrown yards, piles of trash, and more. It’s time to shift accountability back to where it belongs and make neglectful property owners pay up.”

    By Jerri Green March 16, 2025

• December 2024

  • Opinion: How a land-value tax could transform Memphis

    Ben Schulman writes that “a land-value tax (LVT), an old idea gaining new currency to unlock the potential for more equitable development outcomes, could be the catalyst for revitalizing underutilized areas across Memphis.”

    By Ben Schulman December 09, 2024

• October 2024

  • Hickory Hill forum focuses on blight, absentee property owners

    The Hickory Hill One Memphis forum is the seventh since Mayor Paul Young took office this past January.

    By Bill Dries October 22, 2024

• February 2024

  • Paul Young wants first budget to focus on crime, blight, potholes and more

    Young said in an interview on WKNO-TV’s “Behind the Headlines” the budget will be “more firmed up” in the coming months. He will take a budget proposal to the Memphis City Council in May.

    By Bill Dries February 24, 2024

• December 2023

  • Hip-hop artist wins mother’s property back after eminent domain attempt

    Tauheed Rahim II, a native Memphian and artist-in-residence at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., circulated a petition to maintain his rights to a problem property where his mother used to live near St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

    By Ian Round December 29, 2023

• November 2023

  • Like a weed, crime needs to be addressed at the root

    “Blight, litter, dilapidated housing, and poor air quality pose problems for public safety. Public safety extends far beyond crime. Litter and trash indicate community apathy and gives license to potential criminals,” the survey’s results read.

    By Aarron Fleming November 07, 2023

• May 2023

  • Dumpster tire: Blight group’s ideas roll at Memphis City Council

    “We have been dealing with tires for a very long time, and it is a major epidemic in our community,” said council member Rhonda Logan, who chaired the city’s Blight and Illegal Dumping Task Force. 

    By Keely Brewer May 16, 2023

• April 2023

  • Ideas addressing blight and illegal dumping get City Council support

    A working group, chaired by Memphis City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan, has met monthly since last summer to draft guidance for the city on used tires, solid waste, beautification, Environmental Court and community outreach.

    By Keely Brewer April 27, 2023

• November 2022

  • County Commission wants large rental home owners taxed at higher rate

    The resolution, which would ask the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Bill Lee to change state law, is an alternative to a registry of rental property owners.

    By Bill Dries November 14, 2022

• September 2022

  • Cleanup group talks long-term and short-term fixes for blight, illegal dumping

    The city is adding a convenience dumpster site soon at Collins Yard and next year, plans to roll out artificial intelligence tracking to address blight and illegal dumping.

    By Bill Dries September 23, 2022

• June 2022

  • City Council rejects used-car lot on Elvis Presley Boulevard

    The council also discussed the riverfront’s Cobblestone Landing, a blight and illegal dumping task force and police escorts for Donald Trump’s Southaven speech.

    By Bill Dries June 21, 2022

  • City Council to take final vote on partisan primaries

    The ballot question would be the second amending the city charter in this election year. Also on the budget are Memphis Area Transit Authority funding and the city’s blight problem.

    By Bill Dries June 21, 2022

• November 2021

  • Olive Branch focuses on controlling blight

    Concerns about absentee landlords have led Olive Branch and other DeSoto County cities to look at ordinances to control blight.

    By Toni Lepeska November 29, 2021

• June 2021

  • City budget, tax rate votes await further details on federal funding

    The Tuesday council session includes discussion about proposed home improvement grants, an extension of the contract with the company that runs Liberty Bowl stadium for the city and a delay until June 15 on final votes that would set the city budget and property tax rate.

    By Bill Dries June 01, 2021

• May 2021

  • Opinion: Memphis should invest in blighted housing

    Blighted properties cost the city, rather than bringing in tax revenue. The city pays dearly for police, fire, board-up, lot clearing and other services required for abandoned properties.

    By Steve Lockwood May 04, 2021

• April 2021

  • Council members split over blight priorities

    Meanwhile, the council delayed for two weeks a first reading vote on historic overlay district status for the Crosstown area.

    By Bill Dries April 21, 2021

• January 2021

  • Why neighborhoods matter

    Hearing Steve Barlow talk about what a neighborhood truly is will change how you look at the world around you.

    By Eric Barnes January 08, 2021

• February 2020

  • City Council starts dialogue on Frayser blight remediation plan

    A City Council committee took no action on Lorenzo Williams' $600,000 plan and wants to have further discussions on the proposal before doing so. 

    By Omer Yusuf February 04, 2020

• January 2020

  • Frayser organizations raise questions over $450,000 blight remediation plan

    The plan, which may be considered by city government later this month, would address blight in an area near Northgate Shopping Center. 

    By Omer Yusuf January 05, 2020

• December 2019

  • Shelby County holding Northaven cleanup event this weekend

    The neighborhood cleanup is part of Shelby County's proposal to bring sanitation services to the area. 

    By Omer Yusuf December 13, 2019

  • National consulting firm proposes Frayser blight remediation plan

    A Houston-based business consultant is proposing a solution to blighted and vacant properties in northwest Frayser after touring the neighborhood several months ago. 

    By Omer Yusuf December 07, 2019

• November 2019

  • Residents express support for sanitation proposal for Northaven

    Shelby County officials presented their plan to provide garbage collection service for Northaven residents at a community meeting Tuesday night. 

    By Omer Yusuf November 06, 2019

• October 2019

  • Shelby County wants more feedback on Northaven sanitation services plan

    Northaven residents would pay about $27 a month if the county rolls out a garbage collection service in the area for the first time. 

    By Omer Yusuf October 29, 2019

• September 2019

  • County Commission votes to give Klondike-Smokey City CDC 150 vacant lots

    The Klondike-Smokey City CDC plans to hire local community members to maintain the lots, before moving forward with a development plan for the lots. 

    By Omer Yusuf September 24, 2019