This article was inspired by just driving around DeSoto County and noticing several buildings and structures that were unsightly and in desperate states of disrepair. It sparked a big story and led to finding out four different city’s ways of handling such cases. This story was done as a freelance project, after I had “retired” from The Tribune to have my second child.
Falling down
County’s approach to dilapidated sites varies from community to community
By Lara Wistock
For The Tribune
DeSoto County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. Hundreds of new houses and commercial buildings have gone up over the past several years.
But what happens to all of these buildings and older, existing structures if they fall into disrepair, possibly becoming hazards of health risks to their communities?
