Planning commission orders demolition of dilapidated property at 1761 East Main

The Greenwood Advisory Planning Commission on Feb. 10 ordered the demolition and clearing of buildings at 1761 East Main after the city’s building commissioner presented evidence that the structures are dilapidated, unsecured and a public nuisance.

Building Commissioner Ken Seel told the commission the site contains three structures on two lots that meet state and local definitions of unsafe buildings, citing extensive storm and tree damage, open roof sections, missing windows and repeated police calls. Seel said the city had posted the property and mailed certified notices but had received no substantive response from the owner.

Seel presented photographs, police reports and service exhibits showing multiple police responses; he said Greenwood Police have been dispatched to the property 16 times in the past 24 months for incidents including criminal mischief, trespassing and reports involving weapons. He also told commissioners the city had identified a registered agent and a corporate contact in its records but that no one appeared at the hearing.

Commissioners debated whether redevelopment proposals discussed with staff months earlier had fallen through and whether demolition was the only remaining option. After discussion, a commissioner moved to find the property unsafe, to order its demolition and clearing, and to direct the city attorney to prepare written findings of fact and a demolition order. The motion as amended named the owner on the order as JG Property, LLC. The commission voted 8-0 to approve the order; the commission’s finding requires demolition and clearing within 30 days of receipt of the commission’s order.

The building commissioner said the demolition order was issued by the building commissioner on Jan. 31, 2025, under the city’s unsafe-building procedures and in reference to state statute IC 36-7-9. He also said staff had posted evidence of certified mail and onsite notices as required by law. The commission authorized the city attorney to draft the findings of fact and the order that will be signed by the commission president.

The record provided at the hearing included a listing for JJJ Properties with John Ford identified as a company officer and a separate reference in the motion to a private individual, John McCord. The commission’s final motion and order identify the owner for enforcement purposes as JG Property, LLC.

The commission’s action is an administrative order requiring the owner or an interested party to abate the nuisance by demolition and lot clearing; the order also authorizes the city to pursue enforcement if the owner does not comply. The city attorney will prepare the formal findings and order, and the commission set the 30-day compliance period in its motion.

Evidence presented at the hearing and the city’s stated police-response count are part of the administrative record; the commission referred to Indiana Code 36-7-9 in supporting the determination that the buildings are unsafe.