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Residents press council over collapsing hillside, city says stop-work order remains in place
Summary
Neighbors described ongoing erosion and an unstable slope at 515 Greenwood Drive; city staff said the property has a stop-work order, the owner recently changed via quitclaim deed, and the city may require a geotechnical engineer if the slope worsens.
Residents told the Clinton City Council that a hillside excavation at 515 Greenwood Drive has been collapsing for more than a year and is damaging nearby property values.
Don Head, a Greenwood Drive resident, said the property is “an eyesore” after trees and vegetation were removed and large piles of dirt were left on the site. “They took all the foliage off the hillside, so nothing left to hold the dirt in place,” Head said.
City staff member Matt (last name not specified) told the council the property changed hands from Jeremy Webb to John Stair via a quitclaim deed and that a stop-work notice remains on the house. Matt said city staff had met the owner during heavy rain and described a tentative plan that calls for an 8‑foot interlocking wall at the base of the slope and a secondary terrace wall upslope. He said the work authorized at the site is limited to slope repair and that no other construction is permitted while the stop‑work notice stands.
Matt said there is currently no geotechnical engineer’s study but that “I’m literally, one bad day from requiring an engineer.” He told council that if quality of work or progress is inadequate the city will require an engineered design for the repair. The city also indicated the administrative hearing officer (AHO) has assessed a fine of $1,500 that runs with the property title.
Council members discussed the possibility of the city stepping in to make emergency repairs if the slope fails. Matt said the city does take corrective action for emergency measures and then places a lien on the property for the cost of repairs. He estimated collection on assessed code fines at a little over 45% overall but said collection on the Greenwood Drive account specifically had not been collected.
Several council members urged staff to get a contractor estimate and to act if the condition worsens; one council member said “I personally think we’ve given him long enough.” Matt said he had warned the owner that the city would require an engineer if progress stalled and that staff would proceed to an engineer requirement if the slope “slides one more time.”
The council did not adopt additional immediate action at the meeting beyond the staff discussion, but members asked staff to bring estimates and to monitor the site closely.
