Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monroe council declares 609 Winchester Avenue unfit for habitation, orders repair or demolition
Summary
After a staff presentation on structural damage and a contractor estimate that repairs would exceed half the dwelling's value, Monroe City Council on June 23 adopted an ordinance declaring 609 Winchester Avenue dilapidated and ordering repair or demolition; a lien will be placed to recover demolition costs.
Monroe City Council on June 23 adopted an ordinance declaring the single‑family dwelling at 609 Winchester Avenue dilapidated and unfit for human habitation and ordered the structure repaired or demolished.
Doug Britt, a staff member, presented the case to the council, saying the house is a 1,488‑square‑foot single‑family home that has been vacant since at least 2010 and was the subject of a 2024 minimum‑housing inspection that found multiple code violations. "There was a hole in the roof on the front of the house," Britt told the council, and listed boarded windows, a deteriorated chimney, damaged subflooring and debris throughout the interior. He said the structure was listed with a structure value of $0 and a land value of $36,700, and that a licensed general contractor, DAP Contracting, provided an estimate of $65,000 to repair the dwelling.
Those figures matter under the city's minimum‑housing ordinance: because the repair estimate exceeds 50% of the dwelling's value, staff recommended that council adopt a demolition ordinance. Britt summarized the staff recommendation: the dwelling be declared unfit for human habitation and ordered repaired or demolished, and that a lien be placed on the property to recover demolition costs upon a future sale.
A council member asked about ownership and notice; staff said the last listed owner was Tony Griffin (deceased) and that his wife, Aisha Owens Griffin, had been the only person to come forward. Staff said notice of the minimum‑housing hearing and ensuing order had been mailed by regular and certified mail and posted on the property.
With no members of the public speaking for or against the matter, the chair closed the public hearing and moved to adopt the ordinance declaring 609 Winchester Avenue unfit and ordering repair or demolition. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll‑call tally.
Council directed that a lien be placed on the property to collect demolition costs when the property is sold. The ordinance adoption concludes the formal hearing on this case; staff may proceed with administrative demolition procedures consistent with the ordinance and applicable city code.
