Congratulations to new Mayor Aron Cromwell and other Lawrence city commissioners who are attempting to hold the owners of an East Lawrence property accountable for allowing the house on that property to fall into dangerous disrepair.

The owners now are seeking a demolition permit for the house at 711 Conn. so they can move forward with plans to replace it with a revenue-producing apartment project. As Cromwell noted during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, the very people who allowed the house to deteriorate now are seeking to profit off that action. “Rather than hanging their heads and apologizing,” Cromwell said, “they stand before us with a plan to capitalize on their neglect.”

“Demolition by neglect” is not a new concept in Lawrence. It has long been practiced by landlords, especially in central city neighborhoods who want to replace older houses with new structures that will increase their rental income. The Oread Neighborhood, north and east of the Kansas University campus has fought for years to keep landlords from simply foregoing any maintenance of older homes until they deteriorate to the point that the city declares them uninhabitable. Then they can be dozed and replaced with more lucrative rental property that often isn’t a good fit for the neighborhood.

In the case of 711 Conn., city commissioners have decided to try to take a stand. On Tuesday, they denied the demolition permit and directed city staff to research city codes to determine what could be done to force the property owner to improve, rather than tear down, the property.

First, they’ll have to unravel the mystery of who is responsible for maintaining the property. The owner of 711 Conn. says he only bought the property to allow the neighboring Praise Temple Church to purchase it from him “on contract.” Attorney Michael Tubbs told commissioners he was speaking on behalf of those who want to redevelop the property, but he wouldn’t identify his clients or say who was responsible for managing the property.

It’s notable that Praise Temple is led by Rev. Paul Winn, who has been cited before for housing code violations on East Lawrence rental property. Both Winn, a former specialist in the city’s Human Relations Department, and Tubbs, a former analyst for the city, are well aware of how the system works — and how they might work the system — to clear the house at 711 Conn. to make room for a more lucrative structure.

Maintaining the existing housing stock is important to the stability and aestethics of central-city neighborhoods. Preventing “demolition by neglect” is an ongoing and difficult battle for Lawrence. It’s good to see current commissioners finding out what steps can be taken to prevent property owners from profiting from their own neglect.