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Owner asks Ocean Ridge to reduce fines tied to long-running construction violations; commissioners resist
Summary
Property owner asked the commission to reduce more than $75,000 in accrued fines from violations tied to an unfinished house; commissioners said the lien predated the sale and emphasized the town’s prior enforcement and the owner–builder dispute.
Property owner Charlie Dollam told the commission he and his wife are investing in a redesigned home at a site long flagged by the town and asked the commission to consider reducing fines that the town says have been accruing since a magistrate order tied to a September 2024 deadline. Dollam said violations were corrected quickly after citation — “the fencing has been installed, and as I understand it, it's been approved by the town” — and supplied a seawall engineer’s letter asserting the seawall did not require emergency repair.
Commissioners and staff reviewed the case history and said the enforcement, lien and fine accrual predated the couple’s purchase. One commissioner summarized the town’s position: the lien is against the property and not the town’s responsibility to resolve; another commissioner said they would not favor relief, calling the outstanding total “a lot of money.” Staff said the project has progressed (permitting responses to engineering comments) but that the town expects the owner and builder to resolve outstanding obligations; no lien reduction was approved during the meeting.
