City of Cayce Steps Up Fight Against Blight

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CAYCE, S.C. (WOLO) — In a meeting Wednesday night the Cayce City Council moved forward with fees for property owners of dilapidated buildings. Living in the same Cayce neighborhood for more than 50 years Roosevelt Grant and his sister-in-law Margaret have watched the area undergo plenty of changes. They say some of them are more frustrating than favorable. “It was a regular house and then it went down to that. It went down from nobody keeping it up,” says Margaret Grant, describing the house next to her home. Her brother-in-law Roosevelt says,”I don’t like it, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is doing anything about it.” But now the city is stepping in, allotting $50,000 for the start up of the Removal of Unsafe Structures Program. But it won’t be taxpayers picking up the tab, it’ll be the property owners funding the fees. “The fees that were approved last night are fees that we will assess against the property if we have to go through the condemnation and ultimate removal.” Assistant City Manager Shaun Greenwood says those fees could run property owners between $5,000 – $10,000 if they don’t resolve the situation by themselves. He says the city currently has a list of more than 2 dozen dilapidated structures. “Structurally unsafe houses are our biggest concern right now those will be the ones we try to handle first,” Greenwood tells ABC Columbia. According to the Assistant City Manager this structure is one of 9 they feel will need to be torn down. He says now that now that city council has approved the fee structure they’re hoping to have demolition underway in the next 4 months. Greenwood explains, “The other structures on our list are things that have violations that people could potentially fix up and not have to have the houses taken down as long as they fix the issues that are identified.” He says that so far, property owners have been cooperative, but he wouldn’t be surprised by future opposition. However, that opposition won’t come from neighbors like the Grants. Roosevelt says, “Somebody needs to do something with it I can tell you that.” “I just think it’s a fine idea, the sooner the better,” exclaims Margaret. They’re ready for some positive change in their neighborhood.