Clute council orders condemnation of North Dixie Drive property, grants owner 90 days and 60‑day status report

Clute City Council voted unanimously Thursday to find a deteriorated building on North Dixie Drive (property ID 154611) unsafe and to order its demolition, giving the property owner 90 days to complete demolition or make demonstrable progress and requiring a status report to council in 60 days.

At the public hearing, Josh Ramirez, who said he was representing his mother, property owner Yvonne Lindley, told the council the structure was vacant and used mainly for storage and that he planned to place shipping containers on the lot to remove personal items before demolition. “I’m gonna get a shipping container delivered… I’m asking for 6 months, please,” Ramirez said, adding that container delivery quotes he had obtained were “a little over $4,000.”

A staff member explained council’s options under local procedure: the standard repair-or-demolish order is 30 days, but if an owner presents a remedial plan the council may grant extensions up to 90 days and require periodic progress reports. The staff member told council that any extension beyond 30 days would require the owner to return and report progress before another extension could be considered.

Council members pressed Ramirez for demolition cost estimates; staff noted average costs for a single‑story dwelling in the council’s jurisdiction often fall in the “around $8,000, sometimes $10,000” range. Ramirez said he had not yet obtained demolition bids because he was arranging temporary storage and was partly out of state until recently.

A council member moved to make the finding of an unsafe building, condemn the property and give the owner 90 days to perform demolition or remediation, with a required report back to council in 60 days. The motion was seconded, there was no further discussion, and the council voted unanimously to approve the condemnation order and the reporting requirement.

The council closed the public hearing after taking the action. The council’s order requires the owner to return to the council in 60 days to report progress; the condemnation order will remain in effect unless the council votes otherwise based on reported progress or compliance.

Clarifying details: Ramirez said he planned to use two 20-foot shipping containers (or a single 40-foot unit) to clear personal property; he reported a delivery quote for containers of “a little over $4,000” and said empty containers weigh about “a little over 5,000 pounds.” Staff estimated typical demolition costs for an average single-family dwelling in the area to be about $8,000–$10,000. The owner said the lot contains multiple addresses (six addresses within a three‑acre parcel) and that some outbuildings were hurricane-damaged and would also be removed.