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Garner council orders demolition of dilapidated house at 220 Landis Circle and awards contract
Summary
After a public hearing, council adopted an ordinance to demolish a fire-damaged, vacant dwelling at 220 Landis Circle and unanimously awarded a $17,480 demolition contract to Cecil Holcomb Renovations. The town will place a demolition lien on the property and coordinate with Wake County to pursue tax-foreclosure options to recoup costs.
The Town Council adopted an ordinance ordering demolition of a dilapidated dwelling at 220 Landis Circle and later awarded a demolition contract to Cecil Holcomb Renovations Inc. following a public hearing and staff presentations.
Nathan Driver, the town’s code compliance officer, explained the dwelling was built in 1984 and suffered severe structural damage in a February 2017 fire. Driver said the structure was posted unsafe in April of the previous year, an administrative hearing on May 23 upheld the inspector’s findings, and the owner never responded to required notices. Driver said the property remains open, vacant and an attractive nuisance.
Driver recited the department’s findings and relevant legal authority, stating the inspection was undertaken pursuant to the Town of Garner Code of Ordinances (section 7.15) and North Carolina General Statutes sections cited in the municipal code process. He told council the required repairs would exceed 50% of the dwelling’s value and that a contractor quote for demolition was $17,480, which included $3,000 set aside for asbestos abatement.
After the public hearing, council adopted an ordinance compelling demolition (motion by Councilmember Singleton, second by Councilmember Phil Matthews) and voted unanimously. Council then voted to award the demolition contract to Cecil Holcomb Renovations Inc.; that award also passed unanimously following a motion by Singleton and a second by Matthews. The town confirmed demolition costs will be paid initially from contract services funds and that the town will place a lien for demolition costs on the property. Town staff said they will coordinate with Wake County; if liens and unpaid taxes meet foreclosure thresholds, Wake County may foreclose and the property could be sold to satisfy liens.
Code compliance staff showed photos and a short video of the property in the Camelot neighborhood; staff reported attempts to reach owners and heirs yielded no responses and one last-known address was a Raleigh homeless shelter, which returned no contact. Council members asked about the town’s process for recovering demolition costs; staff described the lien and foreclosure path through Wake County.
