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Housing commission orders cleanup at multiple vacant properties, sets firm deadline for Sullivan Avenue
Summary
At a commission meeting, staff reported health and safety hazards at several vacant houses. The commission condemned or continued oversight on a series of properties, authorized removal of hazardous materials at 3714 Sullivan Ave with a near-term cleanup deadline, and advanced follow-ups for August.
The Housing Commission on an official meeting reviewed a string of vacant and hazardous properties and voted to condemn or continue oversight on several addresses while setting a firm cleanup schedule for one property with immediate fire-safety hazards.
Codes enforcement staff described repeated neighbor complaints and what they found at 505 South Lovell Avenue: “there is an old deep freezer on the back porch that has expired meat,” and a detached chimney and crumbling exterior wall that pose a structural risk. Staff said notices from an entity identifying itself as Guardian Asset Management were posted but that the foreclosure auction is scheduled for Aug. 27; the commission voted to condemn the property and authorized code enforcement to remove the rotten freezer and related nuisance materials, and asked for a representative of the asset manager to appear at the Aug. 12 meeting.
Why it matters: unresolved vacant properties can create public-health and public-safety hazards for neighbors and increase fire risk; condemnation and targeted cleanup are intended to reduce those immediate threats while ownership questions are resolved.
The commission also ordered demolition bids or condemnation measures for other properties. For 5417 Connell Street—partially collapsed after a fallen tree—staff recommended condemning the remaining structure and securing bids for demolition; the commission approved soliciting demolition bids and advanced the item for follow-up. At 1200 Forest Green Drive and 3612 Whitehead Avenue, staff reported successful rehabilitation work; the commission voted to close those files.
The meeting set a near-term, enforceable cleanup schedule for 3714 Sullivan Avenue after staff described extensive combustible debris and improvised, unpermitted structures that increase the site’s fire load. Commissioners directed that removal of the most dangerous items—chemicals, gasoline and other flammable materials—begin Friday the 10th and that code enforcement see measurable progress by 10:00 a.m. Monday the 13th; if the property is not in full compliance by the August meeting, the city will solicit bids to perform the cleanup. As staff put it during the discussion, the scale of debris “is a risk in itself.”
Sale and conditional release: 626 Marlborough Avenue drew a different outcome. A buyer and contractor, Jessica Cantu of Property Rush, told the commission she plans to purchase and rehabilitate the home and shared a proposed scope of work; the commission amended the condemnation to prohibit overnight habitation while allowing inspectors and contractors access, and passed the item to Aug. 12 so staff can report on closing and interior inspections.
Other actions: the commission passed 1521 Fruitland Drive to September to allow additional cleanup time; agreed to review progress on 6504 Burr Street at the August meeting (the motion carried with one abstention); and passed 6925 Martha Avenue to August while staff waits on contractor coordination and demolition scheduling. Throughout the meeting the commission repeatedly emphasized compliance deadlines and directed staff to escalate to city-led cleanup if property owners do not remedy hazards within the set timeframes.
Next steps: multiple items were continued to the Aug. 12 meeting for progress reports or for asset-manager appearances; the commission instructed codes enforcement to document compliance steps and to proceed with city cleanup bids where property owners fail to meet deadlines.
