At a Nov. 6 meeting, the Hammond City board affirmed demolition orders for multiple vacant or fire‑damaged properties after inspection staff presented photos and evidence of unsafe conditions under the Unsafe Building Act.

The board’s action covered several addresses, including 517–19 Hoffman Street, 6604–06 Kennedy Avenue, 6646 Nevada, 6402 New Hampshire Avenue, 434 Vine Street and 410 Waltham Street. Inspections staff said the properties had been posted and that service had been accomplished by certified mail, publication and posting on the property prior to the hearing.

“Given the condition of the property, the demo order should be affirmed,” city counsel or inspections staff told the board during presentation of the cases.

Attorney Dustin Smith, representing Nationstar Mortgage, told the board that Nationstar is the first mortgage lienholder on the Hoffman Street property and that an active foreclosure is pending. “We do have an active foreclosure case. We’ve obtained judgment,” Smith said and provided case number 45D022312MF758. He said the lender may proceed with a sheriff sale or self‑demolition and asked only that the lender be given time to confirm its plans; the board affirmed the order and staff said demolition would not occur immediately because bidding and scheduling typically take 60–90 days.

For 6604–06 Kennedy Avenue, a representative for Lake Falls LLC said the company purchased the property at tax sale and expects to obtain a tax deed after the redemption period expires; the attorney offered a circuit‑court case number related to the tax‑deed action (45CO12510TP1298) and said the purchaser intends to rehabilitate the property once the deed is issued. City staff said they prefer rehabilitation where feasible but asked the board to affirm the order so the process could move forward if necessary.

Several other cases involved recent ownership changes or owners who indicated immediate cleanup plans. For 6402 New Hampshire Avenue, the new owner told the board he purchased the property at sheriff’s auction, had secured the site and intended to pull permits and begin repairs as soon as the deed issued; staff said the order could be entered but held off on recording while the owner pursues permits. At 434 Vine Street and 410 Waltham Street, owners and contractors reported ongoing cleanup and a desire to enter rehab agreements; the board affirmed orders but indicated it would work with owners who actively pursue rehabs.

Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized process and timing: staff will post the project for bid if owners do not self‑remedy, and actual demolition is typically scheduled after bid and contractor selection, giving mortgage holders and new owners weeks to act. Inspections staff told the board they would provide updated photos and asked interested parties to stay in contact with the law office if plans changed.

The board’s actions were procedural affirmations of the inspectors’ demolition orders; recorded votes were taken by voice (“All in favor, say aye”) and individual roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript.

What’s next: staff will publish bids for any work not self‑performed by owners after the statutory waiting period; interested parties (mortgage holders, tax purchasers and new owners) were advised to coordinate directly with the law office and inspections to avoid city‑paid demolition when possible.

Provenance: Transcript discussion of the group of demolition hearings began at 00:13:05 and concluded at 00:29:15.