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Board discusses blight at 49 West Canal Street, requests owner timeline under historic-preservation guidance
Summary
Board members raised concerns about a deteriorating building at 49 West Canal Street (formerly the Holly Stein property), said a certified letter sent under historic-preservation demolition-by-neglect guidance had not been accepted, and discussed multiple methods to document notice before pursuing further action.
Members of the Board of Public Works and Safety discussed ongoing deterioration at 49 West Canal Street during the May 26 meeting and described steps taken to notify the property owner.
A board member said they had mailed a certified letter under the historic preservation guidelines’ demolition-by-neglect provisions and that, as of the prior Friday, the owner had not accepted the certified letter. “I sent him uh a letter on that sent certified as of Friday of last week he had not uh accepted his certified letter,” the member said, and asked the owner to provide a timeline or a facade plan for repairs or face possible further enforcement.
Board members and staff reviewed options for documenting notice if the certified mailing is not accepted, including sending an email with a confirmation request, using regular mail (to see whether it is returned), or sending a delivery requiring a personal signature via FedEx or UPS. A staff member said using multiple delivery methods would strengthen the record that the board attempted to notify the owner before taking escalation steps.
The board did not take a formal enforcement vote at the meeting; members said the notice process had started and discussed next steps if the property owner fails to respond. The conversation included on-site observations about adjacent building repairs and cosmetic work but centered on ensuring the board has documented notice before pursuing enforcement under the historic-preservation guidance.
The board requested copies of correspondence and said staff would follow up on delivery attempts and any owner response. No enforcement action or deadlines were established in the meeting minutes recorded in the transcript.
