NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Two of three Encampment Street apartment complexes have been demolished.

According to neighbors, these properties have been an eyesore for years, and waiting for the city to take them down has been frustrating.

“We have contacted the town, the mayor dozens of times, myself and the other residents at the condo here, and to no avail,” said St. Bernard resident Mark Coyne.

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WGNO crews spoke with the Department of Code Enforcement Director Anthony Davis, who said that there are two ways a demolition can take place: the imminent danger process or the strategic process which is the more lengthy of the two.

“It’s a process by wherefore we have to notify all owners, potentially anybody else that has a potential lean on the property; so it’s a little more in detail,” Davis said.

What can slow down a demolition process such as this one?

According to Davis, a lot.

“It can be slowed down through title research. It can be slowed down because of that process. We have to find all of the owners. If all of the owners are not local, it has to go through a significant legal process to make sure that we followed the city ordinance and all laws,” Davis said.

Councilman Eugene Green wants residents to be assured that no matter how long or difficult the process may be, each reported blighted property will be removed.

We may lose hearings, there may be a temporary restraining order but we never stop and say, ‘Okay that’s it! We’re throwing up our hands. That blight is going to be there forever,’ and I think the public needs to know that,” Green said.

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