City Officials Proceed With Plans To Make Luxury Condos Out Of Camden Building Rated In Dangerous Condition

By Pat Loeb

CAMDEN, NJ (CBS) -- The long-predicted Camden renaissance faces a serious challenge. A ten-story building downtown that was seen as a key element for revitalization sits vacant and decaying and has been declared dangerous by city inspectors.

The building at Front and Cooper Street is owned by the Camden Redevelopment Agency. In September, the city's code enforcement division told the agency the building was dangerous and should be demolished, but the only apparent response was the placing of a fence around the ten-story hulk.

Rutgers student Brian Everett, who obtained and shared the imminent hazard notice, has also obtained an unsafe structure notice on the building from 10 years ago.

"Things have fallen off of the building and continue to fall off the building. You can look in the fenced-in area and see bricks and cinderstones on the ground," said Everett.

The Agency has been trying to raise money to clean up environmental contamination at the site so it can turn the building over to developer Carl Dranoff, to turn it into luxury condominiums. Dranoff says he was not informed of the "imminent hazard notice," and doesn't believe it was accurate, but encouraged the Agency to take whatever action is necessary.

Numerous attempts to reach Code Enforcement and the Agency were unsuccessful.