In just 25 minutes, the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission not only elected new leaders but swiftly tackled three run-down properties within city limits. Reporter Heather Clisby was there …
At the outset of last night’s Twentynine Palms Planning Commission meeting, outgoing Chair Jim Krushat nominated fellow Commissioner Max Walker as the new Chair, and Jessica Cure as the new Vice Chair. By 5:03, the matter was settled, and seats were switched.
The commission then heard from the city’s Code Enforcement team on three separate properties that have become eyesores.
Code Enforcement Officer Vanessa Cabrera explained that Code Enforcement is “solely reactive” and responds to complaints and anonymous tips from the community. The three properties in question have been in violation of city codes as far back as 2015 and Cabrera explained the delay.
“The reason that these have been pending for so long has been due to the desire to obtain voluntary compliance on the part of the property owners and due to the changes in personnel in the Code Enforcement Department. These cases have been started and due to legal timelines, once it expires, the next officer has to start the case file again.”
The first property (72383 Twentynine Palms Highway) features two dilapidated buildings, and although the owner obtained a permit last year for roof replacement, no action has been taken. The commission declared the property a Public Nuisance and Dangerous Building(s), thus, clearing the way for demolition.
The second property is on the east side of town, a vacant parcel north of Old Dale and west of Wilshire, that has become an illegal dumping site. The owner is deceased. The commission declared the property a Public Nuisance and provided Code Enforcement with an Order of Abatement to haul away the trash and place a lien/special assessment on the property to cover city expenses.
Owned by an elderly man who does not live in the city, the last property (6531 Mission Avenue) went the same way as the first and is now declared a Public Nuisance and Dangerous Building and is slated for demo. The owner has not been to the property in many years and there is evidence of a previous fire and squatters.
