Emails obtained by El Paso Inc say the city has been gathering evidence for years on buildings posing serious fire/safety hazards and they could place liens on them.

Over 100 vacant buildings have been designated as hazards. According to the El Paso Inc article, Fire Marshall Orlando Arriola said:

"If a property owner evades city orders to board and secure their buildings, the city would do the work and send the bill to the property owner. If the property owner refuses to pay, a lien could be placed on the building.

A representative for William Abraham, owner of three of the biggest "problem buildings", said:

“Once business owners understand the city is eager to work with them hand in hand they will be more enthusiastic to rent a space in a historical building knowing that the city is going to assist them as they remodel and build out.” “This should attract more tenants not only for Abraham but for other building owners downtown."

Abraham has quite a history with regard to his properties and the city itself. He owns the Caples, American Furniture and Kress buildings.

If you're a property owner, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out the full article at El Paso Inc.

 

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