North Las Vegas will bulldoze 20 abandoned houses sprinkled throughout the city that are hotspots for criminal activity, squatters, and fires. Interim City Manager Qiong Liu says $400,000 from a federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant will be devoted to the project. It will begin with 10 properties that have together prompted 142 calls for service to police. Each has had at least one fire and some have had as many as three.
City officials say the cleanup will help remove unattractive damaged and vacant homes and will eliminate hangouts for criminals. The city will place a lien on the empty lots so it can recover the costs of demolition if the properties are sold.
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