NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - North Little Rock continues to address run down houses. The city has demolished 30 houses already this year and more could come down soon.
Eight properties could be pinned as a public nuisance by City Council next Monday.
"One bad house in a neighborhood is going to drag all the other houses down," says Joe Smith, North Little Rock Director of Commerce and Government Affairs.
Smith says it takes between four and five months to complete the entire demolition, but this year old houses are coming down faster than ever.
"We've condemned 22, we've torn down 30 because we had several left over from last year and owner condemnations has been 75," says Smith.
"It cost around $3,000 to demolish one of these houses, but Smith says it's worth it because it takes economic strides for North Little Rock and also raises the quality of life for residents.
"Three bedrooms and all the good stuff and I'm just delighted," says Quincy Cooper of North Little Rock.
85-year-old Cooper spent nearly two decades living on West 8th street, but now she's moving into a brand new home because of the city, habitat for humanity, and federal funding.
"Oh Lord yes, and I'm right on the corner, I've got the biggest lot over there and I already got my flowers going over there," says Cooper.
Joe Smith says not all residents are quite as pleased as Cooper, but for the most part the response to the revitalization is positive.
"You got to draw the line somewhere. When the value and the upkeep of the homes goes down crime goes up, so we're fighting crime with code enforcement basically," says Smith.
Smith says there is a large list of homes on the docket to be demolished, but he hopes in two years the city can take care of most of those properties.
North Little Rock replaces the torn down homes with new houses through federal funding. Smith says the city will likely close on their first house this week and they have 12 more to sell.