Wade Verges says he's the largest commercial property owner in New Orleans East and was shocked when he got a letter about this building on Crowder Boulevard one of his most successful properties since Katrina.

“It is incompetence, negligence or harassment,” said Verges.

Earlier this week, Verges received a letter from the City of New Orleans, citing his commercial property at the corner of Crowder and Lake Forest Boulevard for being a public nuisance and blighted, fining him $325 dollars and notifying him that his property was eligible for demolition.

Verges said that was the first time that he heard about this from the city, and that the city had never tried to contact him before.

But the citation says he was charted with the violation in May, and the city labeled the property blighted after an administrative hearing in mid-August.

“What evidence do they have to a hearing? I don't have a clue,” said Verges, adding that there's no doubt his property is not blighted.

“The entire ground floor is occupied. We have two realtors in the building, our offices, we are developers,” he said.

And even a state representative has his legislative office on the 2nd floor.  In fact, Verges says the building is 75 percent occupied.

“We're actually the only building at the intersection other than Walgreens that is not blighted,” he said.

And one of the few in the neighborhood up and running.

“The bad people that are doing nothing are not getting these notices. They are not getting harassed like we are,” he said.

But Verges wonders and worries how many others are just like him.  

"Such a finding does not mean a demolition permit has been issued for a property,” said James Ross, deputy director of communications. “Rather, it means that at the time of a hearing with Code Enforcement, the property was found not to meet code. In such cases, the property owner must present evidence of rehabilitation to the office of Code Enforcement."