Groves council orders condemnations, grants mixed grace periods for more than a dozen dangerous properties

Groves — The City of Groves City Council voted on Oct. 20 to condemn multiple properties the city’s Neighborhood Services division had declared dangerous or substandard, while approving time-limited extensions for several addresses where owners or prospective buyers presented plans or title issues.

Neighborhood Services staff told the council they had completed title searches and extensive notice efforts — certified and regular mail, yard signs and on-structure notices — and that many inspections were exterior because staff were denied access. Staff recommended condemnation for a number of properties because of structural deterioration, pest infestations, unpaid municipal fines or inactive utilities, and the council acted on each recommendation in turn.

The most contested item involved 6579 Howell (also referenced as Howell/Howe in the record). The hearing record shows a prospective buyer and general contractor, Michael Plaga, presented a scope of work and a plan to invest to rehabilitate the house. Staff and a third-party engineer, James Abab, testified that the primary residence was salvageable though the garage and some framing required repair. Because of title and foreclosure complications reported by the seller’s…