LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) Lafayette is no different than any other city when it comes to blight.  

The Lafayette Consolidated Government Director of Community Development & Planning says they have made a strong effort to focus on properties that are burned for rehabilitation.  

Mary Sliman says over the past council meetings, 13 burned properties were presented.  

She adds that the properties include one home on South Magnolia Street and another on 11th Street. 

“Those are easy to qualify for condemnation. You look at them and you can visually tell without even having to walk onto the property that they are in a state of pretty much disrepair.”

The goal, she said, is to rid the city and unincorporated parts of the parish of blight.   

She says there is an environmental and a safety concern that come with these properties.  

“We have properties without electricity.  We have properties that people are potentially entering and living in or squatting in.” 

Sliman says the options are to either rehab the property or condemn it to be torn down.   

“The next step after the council approves the condemnation, we give a 30-day period after the condemnation ordinance has passed for the property owners to take it upon themselves to demolish a property.  If there isn’t any action, then we will go to bid and we’ll usually take the property down ourselves.”