Garland, Texas – September 15, 2009 – Garland’s Mayor and City Council will join the Garland Housing Finance Corporation to mark the beginning of the demolition of Miller Garden Apartments on Friday, September 18, 2009.
 
In 2007, the City of Garland ordered that Miller Garden Apartments at 1214 Miller Road be vacated because of unsafe and unsanitary conditions.  This was the final chapter after repeated code violations and unresponsive ownership and management.  The City helped the renters find other housing, but the problems of an empty apartment complex remained.  The buildings were still an eyesore along a major road in Garland.  Worse, the vacant apartments were becoming a haven for the vagrants.  These issues also made the area less attractive for future development.
 
In September 2008, the Garland City Council approved GHFC’s bid to acquire and demolish the apartments with financial aid from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).  For the past year, GHFC has worked to obtain a clear title to the property.  The process was complicated by the death of one of the owners, bankruptcy of a lending institution and various liens against the property.  GHFC finally closed on the property on August 7, 2009.
 
Redevelopment of this property is in the planning stage.  Because of the high traffic count in this area, the location is ideal for retail.  The current economic recession allows for time to comprehensively plan a redevelopment strategy to maximize the benefit to the surrounding neighborhood, as well as for the City as a whole.
 
To mark this significant step toward revitalizing this Garland neighborhood, GHFC is hosting a ceremonial demolition at the Miller Garden Apartments on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 10 a.m.  The Mayor and City Council will be present along with other dignitaries.  The public is invited to attend.