Mount Vernon IDA authorizes counsel to remove unauthorized tenants at 229 South Fourth Avenue

The Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency on Aug. 14 authorized agency counsel to take legal action to remove unauthorized occupants from 229 South Fourth Avenue after the board was told the site had been subleased and was being used without permission. The board took the action after the property’s lot — where a building had been demolished — was reported to contain an 18-wheeler and other vehicles and debris. Agency members discussed that the building demolition was nearly complete and that the lot had been cleared of leftover trucks and construction materials. The authorization, filed as resolution 8/25-3 in meeting materials, directs counsel to pursue removal of any unauthorized tenants and to use the agency’s legal remedies, including condemnation if warranted. The motion was offered during the business development report and carried by voice vote with no opposition. Board members said the building department and fire department had prepared condemnation paperwork and that notices had been posted at the site; the board moved to ensure it had explicit legal authority to act if the occupants did not vacate. The board asked counsel to proceed and to confirm the department-level enforcement steps already taken. The board’s action followed agency staff reports that demolition work was nearly finished and that the property owner had been contacted. The authorization gives counsel the authority to pursue eviction or condemnation; the board did not set a timeline for execution in the meeting. The agency also approved routine minutes and small vendor invoices in separate votes during the same meeting.