Magistrate orders 10-day safety fixes and permit filing for large blight case at 314 Emistry Street

Ron Brown, Special Magistrate for Code Enforcement, found substantial competent evidence of severe maintenance and safety violations at 314 Emistry Street (case 2026-076) and issued a two-part compliance order: (1) complete non-permit corrective work and secure the property within 10 days, and (2) file bona fide permit applications within 10 days for work that requires permits, with permit work to proceed under the permitting timeline.

Christy Lowe, the presenting case officer, told the magistrate that contractors had started work months earlier but stopped and the owner is not engaging; Lowe presented 12 cited violations including rotten and weakened columns that currently rely on temporary 2x4 supports, exposed roof underlayment and tarp, open windows and unsecured doors, loose wiring and extensive structural rot visible from public right-of-way. Lowe said the city’s engineer deemed pedestrian access potentially dangerous and the city was arranging sidewalk closure and posting as unsafe.

The magistrate summarized a practical enforcement plan: non-permit items (grass, painting, pressure washing, securing doors/windows, temporary site safety measures and fencing) must be completed by the end of business on June 26, 2026; for items requiring permits, the owner must file permit applications in good faith within 10 days and proceed under the permit timetable. The record shows 12 cited violations; magistrate and staff discussed statutory maximums and agreed that fines may be assessed up to $250 per violation per day, with the stated intent of securing compliance rather than revenue. Brown said the city wants compliance, not the money.

The magistrate also authorized referral to register the site in the city’s vacant/blighted property registry where appropriate and warned of continued accrual of fines and potential city intervention to secure the site if the owner fails to act.