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Council adopts multiple nuisance condemnations; owner requests time for one property sale
Summary
The North Little Rock City Council adopted several resolutions declaring properties public nuisances and authorizing condemnation and cleanup liens. One property owner asked for additional time to complete a pending sale; staff explained rehabilitation and demolition processes and timelines.
The city council voted to adopt multiple resolutions declaring specific buildings public nuisances and authorizing condemnation or cleanup liens against properties in North Little Rock. Resolutions read and adopted at the meeting included R25137 (4105 Rogers Street), R25139 (4812 Adkins Street), R25140 (1220 Gum Street), R25141 (916 North H H Street cleanup lien), R25142 (812 West 204th Street cleanup lien), and R25143 (grass-cutting lien certifications). One public hearing was held during R25139 after a person identifying herself as Mercy Flowers spoke and asked for extra time because a buyer will be in town on Sept. 10 and she wanted time to complete a sale.
Why it matters: The actions enforce city property-maintenance codes, clear blight concerns and allow the city to place liens or proceed with demolition when property owners do not abate nuisances. City staff explained the rehab-agreement option and timelines for property owners who wish to bring buildings up to code instead of losing structures to demolition.
Key details and process: City attorney and city staff said that, should the council vote to condemn a structure, the property owner or a new purchaser has 30 days to contact the city attorney's office to pursue a rehabilitation agreement. Under such an agreement, the owner would have 180 days to complete required repairs; the city requires an escrow deposit equal to the estimated demolition cost so the city can proceed if the work is not completed. Mercy Flowers said her brother owned one of the properties and she has a buyer arriving Sept. 10; staff told her she would have 30 days after condemnation to contact the city attorney and could pursue a rehab agreement with up to 180 days to complete repairs.
Public hearing outcomes: For R25137 and the other cited resolutions, council members recorded affirmative roll-call votes and adopted the measures. For R25138 (1719 Highway 161) the council opened a hearing because notice had been published, but no one spoke and the council held that item for a future meeting because public notice had appeared in the paper. For R25139 the council voted to condemn after the public comment period; the roll-call shows a majority voted yes with at least 1 nay recorded during that item, and staff reiterated the steps for the homeowner to pursue a rehab agreement or demolition permit depending on the buyer’s plans.
The council took the actions during the consent and regular agenda; no criminal penalties were announced at the meeting. The resolutions allow the city to file cleanup liens with the Pulaski County tax collector where applicable and to proceed with abatement if owners do not follow the rehabilitation process.
