Some reactions were generated following the publication of the report on “dead houses” that rest in the central checkerboard of the city of Rancagua, where the majority applauded the initiative to count the properties and vacant sites that were neglected and in a situation of abandonment, which that, for many, this reality threatens the historical heritage of the capital of the O’Higgins region.
About 80 houses and abandoned vacant sites were the result of a survey that we visited in the 64 blocks that make up the central checkerboard of the city.
The vision of two former mayors
We consulted the former mayor of Rancagua, Eduardo Soto, who bluntly stated that this situation “has been increasing in recent years and that the municipality has tools to be able to demand and enforce the permanent closure of these places” and They have been taken irregularly, causing homicides, fires and other crimes.
“Our experience was to be enforceable and notify the owners of the cases in which they did not attend the closure, and it was up to the municipality to do so and then make the payment of the costs involved in the closure of an abandoned home enforceable,” he indicated.
In Soto’s opinion, “if there is a property that, for several months, for different reasons, does not have the provision of basic services, the uninhabitability of the premises can be requested for health reasons.”
The former mayor of Rancagua, echoing the neighbors’ complaints, assured that this is a worrying issue from a security point of view, since fires have been generated, problems inside the buildings and that many of them They belong to the government and have been in that same situation for several years.
Eduardo Soto stated that, firstly, security is taken into account and, secondly, the municipality must be required to ensure that the facades and fronts of the homes are in good condition, because that is the responsibility of the owners.
He also referred to the crusade that was carried out during his administration, regarding the proliferation of illegal parking lots, since, in his opinion, from every point of view, it is much more profitable to demolish a home and transform it into a parking lot and on the street of their subterfuges to begin operating without having the respective municipal permits.
It seems important that this media outlet has exposed this and that the municipality was left with a task that has not been able to advance, which began with technical teams from the historic axis of the State, in such a way as to be able to move forward to declare it as a protection zone. patrimonial and that this must cover the 64 blocks of the foundational checkerboard.
Eduardo Soto also referred to the fact that there are many abandoned homes, in particular one that was acquired with municipal resources, very old and with wooden pillars that is located in Zañartu with Mujica and that today is abandoned without any type of protection, and like that many public institutions that have abandoned them.
Carlos Arellano: “In all the regional capitals”
For the current councilor and former mayor of the Rancagua commune, Carlos Arellano, this is a phenomenon that is occurring in all regional capitals, which must be addressed from a general and non-housing perspective, due to the high cost of rents and One way to big shops in the city center.
“This is a phenomenon that is occurring in all regional capitals,” said Arellano, clarifying that through the Association of Municipalities this phenomenon has been observed in the head municipalities of the regions, which must be addressed from a general perspective and non-housing, due to “the steep rise in rental rates,” which has allowed large stores to leave the center of the regional capital.
He suggests that a kind of management be done for the central area of the city, so that through the Chamber of Commerce, Neighborhood Council, cultural and heritage organizations, work can be done on a proposal that addresses all the issues. viable themes raised.
The councilor indicated that the work should not be done halfway, where houses are transformed into parking lots, and that they do not meet any type of requirements to be able to sustain themselves in the center of the city and a central area that no longer supports the number of vehicles. ; as well as the exceeded parking capacity, in terms of real needs.
Councilor Carlos Arellano insisted that, “one of the ways is the generation of management that leads a process that ends with a concrete work proposal, in the short, medium and long term.”
Paola Jirón: The “urban macha” is not the most advisable
“We have seen in different cities of the country that in central areas there is the abandonment of offices and homes that are empty, something that we are promoting and that the national Urban Development policy promotes” and that has to do with the issue of densification and housing cadastre.
The president of the CNDT acknowledged that there are public homes and offices that are currently empty and are being used for other things.
Consider that we must recognize these territories that have significant accessibility with infrastructure, so that they can be taken back and converted for uses that the population really needs.
Investment in housing, especially in the peripheries, is no longer optimal, because “we have to begin to recognize that there are lands and territories inside cities, some empty buildings, but there are also lands that we can consider for densification. of central areas in many cities of the country.”
Jirón expressed that continuing to extend the “urban stain” in many cities is not the most advisable, but seeing each of those cities, with a vision of densification, which in Chile is fundamental, to be able to understand the implication of taking advantage of the infrastructures existing roads, streets and systems that already exist in order to have faster accessibility and connectivity in urban centers.
Municipality updates cadastre
The municipality of Rancagua through a “Public Declaration” indicates that It is updating the registry of properties in a state of abandonment and deterioration and at the same time verifying whether these properties threaten ruins and/or are a danger to the community.
“We can point out that the owners have been notified to repair these buildings, finish half-built buildings or close and clean vacant sites; Likewise, with the updating of the cadastre in process, the same procedure will be followed,” the text states.
The municipal provision states that it may declare properties that are in such a situation as “abandoned property”, as established in Art. 58 of the Municipal Revenue Law. Likewise, the owners who do not comply with the deadline to carry out the repairs, upon instructions from the municipality, will be referred to the Local Police Court.
The municipal document highlights that, in the process of updating the cadastre in the center of the city, it has been detected that many of these properties show deterioration in their facades, their owners being older adults who for years lived in the central checkerboard and who Their current economic situation does not allow them to make improvements due to their high cost.
One of the recommendations that the municipality makes to property owners that, in the event of carrying out work on them, they must go to the Municipal Works Directorate to verify whether or not they require permission for this purpose.
The four-page document reiterates that the cadastre of properties in a situation of abandonment is being updated, to establish the number of these, verify the state of urban obsolescence of the study area and proceed with repairs or maintenance works, cleaning, closure of vacant sites and the demolition of dilapidated buildings.
Finally, they note that it will be established which properties fit into the classification of “abandoned properties” and at the same time, evaluate the measures leading to reversing the situation detected and improving the image of the city.
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