Council orders removal of fire-damaged structure at 692 Sixth St. E., no rehabilitation option granted

The St. Paul City Council ordered removal of a fire-damaged structure at 692 Sixth Street East and denied the option for rehabilitation, adopting the legislative hearing officer’s recommendation.

Staff summarized the condition of the property, noting the structure had been fire damaged (a June 2021 fire), had been in the vacant building program since February 2019 and that city inspectors and crews had issued multiple summary abatement orders and performed maintenance work (boarding, mowing, shoveling). Legislative hearing staff said property taxes for 2023 and 2024 were delinquent, no performance deposit had been posted, and service attempts to the listed owner returned “not found.”

Owner Mark Ciccarelli testified that he purchased the property about two years earlier and intended to transfer it to a contractor or buyer who would rehabilitate it. He said part of the exterior condition was old tar paper rather than fire damage and that he believed the structure could be rehabilitated; he said he lacked the capacity to fund required repairs personally. Ciccarelli said a prospective buyer would post taxes and a performance bond and proceed with renovation if permitted to do so.

Council members said the property had long presented a neighborhood nuisance, and staff documented repeated city efforts to abate conditions. Council Member Johnson moved to adopt the hearing officer’s recommendation to order removal within five days with no rehabilitation option; the motion passed by voice vote (six in favor, none opposed). Council and staff noted the record shows multiple attempts to compel remediation and that the neighborhood’s repeated complaints and the length of time since the fire supported removal without a rehabilitation path in this case.