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Committee forwards three dangerous-building cases to Council for public hearings; owner requests time to demolish
Summary
The committee recommended that Council schedule public hearings for three properties identified as dangerous structures. Two had been secured by the city; one (67 Lincoln Street) was secured by its owner, who told the committee he intends to demolish within roughly 90 days and asked to be allowed to proceed without enforcement action.
The committee recommended that the Council set public hearings on three properties the city identified as dangerous buildings and directed staff to proceed with the next steps in the dangerous-building process.
Legal process: Assistant City Solicitor Grace explained the statutory dangerous-building process: inspection and securing, service of notice, a public hearing where the city presents evidence and the owner may rebut, a council order requiring corrective action with a typical thirty-day compliance window, and, if owners fail to act, the city may demolish and assess expenses as a special tax on the land.
Properties identified: Code Enforcement Officer Brenda Anscombobelana listed three properties presented to the committee: 271 Elm Street, 354 Ohio Street, and 67 Lincoln Street. She said two properties had been secured by the city and the third (67 Lincoln) had been secured by the owner.
Owner comment and timeline: James Butler, who identified himself as the owner of 67 Lincoln Street, addressed the committee. He said the building suffered a December fire and that he intends to demolish the structure once required signatures and permits are obtained. Butler said he had obtained most utility sign-offs and expected to secure a demolition permit within days and asked the committee not to proceed with enforcement that would duplicate his planned work. He told the committee he expected the demolition to occur within about 90 days of obtaining the permits.
Committee action and vote: The committee moved to forward a recommendation to Council to schedule the public hearings for each property. The motion passed on a roll call, recorded in the minutes as: Councilor Leonard: Yes; Councilor Mellor: No; Councilor Haas: Yes; Councilor Fish: Yes; Chair (Pelletier): Yes.
Next steps: staff will finalize and serve notices, record orders with the registry of deeds as required by statute, and return the matters to Council for the public hearings. If owners demonstrate prompt willing demolition, staff said the Council order can allow a reasonable delay; if not, the city may proceed to demolition and charge the costs to the property.
