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Board of Appeals declares 1509 South Pitcher a dangerous building and orders demolition
Summary
After a city inspector testified the house suffered fire damage and is structurally unsafe, the Joplin City Board of Appeals declared 1509 South Pitcher a dangerous building and ordered demolition; the owner had indicated demolition was financially necessary.
The Joplin City Board of Appeals voted to declare the house at 1509 South Pitcher a dangerous building and ordered it demolished after hearing testimony that the structure was extensively fire-damaged and unsafe.
The board opened a demolition hearing after the city presented evidence including photographs, a title search and certified notices. Shelley Dollison, identified in the record as the city’s lead dangerous-building inspector, testified that the property was damaged by a July fire that burned through a bedroom and compromised floor joists, electrical systems and interior structural elements. Dollison said she had contacted owner Samantha Johnson and that Johnson, after consulting engineers and a contractor, told staff she could not afford repairs and had decided demolition was the financially feasible option.
Dollison introduced three exhibit packets the board accepted into the record: photos she said she had taken that show fire and structural damage; a title search showing Samantha Johnson as the title holder; and a stack of correspondence (emails and certified letters) documenting the city’s notice and the owner’s response. Dollison recommended demolition under Joplin’s code, citing provisions that the board read into the record for dilapidation, fire damage, defective electrical and mechanical systems, and conditions that make a structure unfit for habitation.
No one appeared to represent the property at the hearing; the board closed evidence and moved to the decision. A motion to declare 1509 South Pitcher a dangerous building under Joplin City Code chapter 26 (articles 9 and 10; section 26-6-12, subsections 3, 6, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17) and order demolition carried.
The board’s order included demolition of any outbuildings. The decision followed city staff’s finding that the building was unsecured and posed a hazard; staff noted the owner lives out of state and had agreed demolition was necessary after consulting contractors and engineers. The board did not record a roll-call vote with named tallies in the minutes for this specific motion; the motion carried on the board’s voice vote.
The board will follow its normal process for scheduling and supervising demolition; staff may return to the board if conditions change or if the owner provides new information.
