Nick McWilliams reporting – Uhrichsville officials have identified a trio of homes to come down within the city due to violations of the International Property Maintenance Code.
Service Director Belle Everett recently told council that the property owners had been issued notices to correct issues by Zoning Administrator Jack Legg, but had failed to meet the requirements to bring the structures back to compliance.
The buildings are on Moravian Trail, Miller Street, and Cross Street, with various concerns over potential drug activity related to the blighted structures, and hazards for neighbors.
“They’ve all received their notifications, not done anything to remedy it, and they’ve left the city with no choice but to proceed with the next step. We’re asking council for their approval to demolish all three properties, and to notify the county auditor to attach the cost of the teardown to their property taxes.”
The city will take ownership of the property, and could be sold to build a new home or bid to a neighboring property owner if the lot is too small to build a structure.
Law Director J.J. Ong says that the teardown notices are not necessarily the final piece, as the process could eventually end up in court, depending on the action property owners take.
“The property owner has the ability to object to that, and request a hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals. They then have the right to object to any decision that they would make. If they don’t make any objection within the 30 day time period, they’ll just get demolished.”
Some other teardowns in the city have occurred, such as an abandoned home on Thompson Street in February of last year, and more homes have been identified and are on the radar of Legg.
Multiple administrators and council members in the city have sighted blight as being one of their biggest concerns in Uhrichsville.
Copyright WTUZ Radio Inc., 2023