Council holds demolition decision for fire-damaged house on South Blount Street for two weeks to pursue neighborhood outreach

Council on Feb. 18 opened a hearing on a demolition ordinance for 617 South Blount Street — a duplex that sustained extensive fire damage in August 2023 — and elected to hold the hearing open for two weeks to allow staff to pursue neighborhood outreach and preservation options.

Housing and Neighborhoods staff said the owner applied for a building-only permit but did not procure the mechanical, electrical or plumbing permits required to return the unit to habitable condition; enforcement action began when no follow-up work occurred following the November 2023 inspection. Staff showed photos of significant structural damage and said the property has been unsecured at times; the site is within the Prince Hall historic overlay district.

Nut graf: Councilors asked staff to contact historic-preservation groups and neighborhood stakeholders about potential options (including whether the owner might sell to a preservation-minded buyer) before the council considers adopting a demolition ordinance; the hearing was held open and set for reconsideration at the March 4 meeting.

Staff told council they had met the property owner on site in November and urged permit activity; attempts to negotiate a sale or preservation have not yet borne fruit. Planning staff said Preserve Raleigh had been contacted previously and had not offered to intervene; council members requested a two-week hold while staff recontacts preservation groups and neighborhood contacts.

Ending: The council left the demolition hearing open and directed code-enforcement staff to re-engage the owner and preservation partners; the item will return to council at its next available meeting.