Out with the old - Martinsville leaders have listed 14 buildings that will be torn down next year.
Most of them are dilapidated houses in neighborhoods where the owner never sold out or moved away.
Neighbors suggested the homes come down because they're unsightly and draw the wrong image for the community.
City leaders say homeless people sometimes live in the houses.
"Just three years ago we had a fatality in one of these properties where there was a fire where a homeless person was trying to stay warm, and so we're trying to eliminate that hazard and make it safe for the community," said Andy Powers, Martinsville Deputy Fire Marshal.
A house has to be unlivable, meaning walls, floors and ceilings are caving, for a house to be considered for demolition.
Only one building will be renovated and sold as a business. The city is spending $80,000 to hire contractors to tear the buildings down.
