Not So Vacant An Idea

VacantRichmond.com was officially launched yesterday in an effort to help engage the battle against blighted and neglected properties that affect our neighbors and meighborhoods.

At a recent neighborhood meeting, Police Chief Rodney Monroe made it clear that a key component of action in blight cases was to present to a judge public comments and pictures in cases in which a judge may then render a decision against the offending owner. He challenged the community to become more involved in tackling this issue, and this web site helps engage that challenge.

Concerned neighbors can enter an address in a search box to find properties the city considers vacant in their neighborhood. They can also view city-published information on property owners and start and maintain commentary about recent activity at said vacant properties.

The site also lists police and City Council contacts for offending properties in their areas. It also allows users to find other properties from the same owner in other parts of the city.

Thanks to Daniel at Farrell IT and Ross at PharrOut for their technical prowess and speed in building the site.

Other local bloggers contributed ideas to pull it all together, including RVABlogs, Daniel's Pilgrimage, River City Rapids, the Church Hill People's News, Save Richmond, This Mudi Life and Buttermilk and Molasses.