For example, the photo above showcases an apartment located in the Fourth Street building. There were some differences in the styles of apartments based on location in the complex. There were small, single-occupant residencies in which the tenants shared bathrooms in the Gibbons and Third Street complexes. This can be seen in the 1918 Sanborn map seen above. At the outset, they were located on the upper floors of the Gibbon’s Arcade entrance on Third Street or the Fourth and Ludlow Street entrance. The physical characteristics of the apartments also changed over time. In the 1950s, an extra floor was added to match that of the Gibbons building which still had some commercial use on the second floor. Throughout its history, the apartments in the Third Street building were in high demand because people had easier access to the Arcade. When this took place, more people were able to move into the Third Street building compared to the Gibbons building. As time passed, the management of the Third Street building shifted away from commercial businesses on the second floor and increased the residencies. The Gibbons building had an extra fifth floor of residential apartments. The third and fourth floors of both buildings were strictly residential. The Gibbons and Third Street buildings both had their residential sections starting on the second floor where they were mixed with some stores. Said Meadows: “Sometimes, you have to chase the actual human for quite some time, and when there is someone living in unsafe conditions, that can be a really bad situation.”Ĭontact the Community Development Department at 93.When the Arcade first opened in 1904, three main buildings held apartments: the Gibbons Arcade, the Third Street Arcade, and the Fourth Street Arcade. Leist said the first batch of landlord letters went to about 200 or so owners, and more will go out in the weeks and months ahead for the roughly 7,000 properties on a current city list for rentals. The city has had trouble in the past finding who actually owns some properties. “What we need is people to work with us now.” “We will work with property owners, we will work with property maintenance and we will work with tenants,” she said. The Community Development Department has taken steps to improve its customer service, Meadows explained. That is why the city will give code violators an informal letter and 90 days to fix a problem before a formal citation and fines would follow if repairs are not made. She said civil fines don’t change the environment, but working with property owners can create change. Meadows emphasized the city will spend “at least the first year working with property investors,” in part because it is a new program for the community and in part because of the philosophy of “compassionate code enforcement.” Leist said the department received several phone calls on June 1 from property owners and property maintenance people asking how to register. After a satisfactory inspection, a rental license will be issued that is valid for three years. Once landlords apply and pay, the city will perform an exterior inspection of the property from the public right of way, the letter said. He added: “We want the landlord to visit the properties themselves.” “We’re basically asking the landlords to attest the property is up to code” and meets a minimum standard of living, Leist said. Fees are $35 for a single property, $25 each for two or more properties, or a $750 maximum fee per owner.Ĭommunity Development Manager Jeremy Leist said the self-inspection includes basic property maintenance information about the roof, doors, windows, floors, electrical and such. Under the program, landlords are required to fill out a registration application and self-inspection form for each of their properties. strengthen property values by raising the standards of the city’s rental properties, which represent 50% of the community’s households. enhance public health, safety and welfare In the end, she said the registry has some similarities to other communities, “but I do think it is uniquely Springfield.”Īccording to the city letter, the program is designed to:
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