Run-down house not breaking blight law
Home in Mystic near Seaport has attracted complaints
Mystic — It may look like an “eyesore” owned by an out-of-state entity, but according to Stonington officials there is little they can do about it under the town’s blight regulations.
Director of Planning Jason Vincent, who volunteers as the town’s blight officer, first received a complaint about the condition of the home at 11 Velvet Lane, located just north of Mystic Seaport’s Collections research center, from a Pleasant Street woman in April.
The woman complained about garbage, abandoned cars, rodents and broken windows and doors, calling it an eyesore that is bringing down local property values. Other residents have made similar complaints.
Three inspections
Since then, the town has done three inspections of the property, the latest on Aug. 11, but determined the conditions did not trigger a blight notice.
The lot is overgrown, with wood and other debris strewn about and an SUV with a flat tire parked in the front yard. Blue paint is peeling off the siding, a fence has collapsed in some sections, a window is missing from the first floor and one door is missing a lock. Various items appeared to be stored on the first floor.
Town officials said a man lives in the two-story house which is located next door to a neatly kept small home. Tax bills have been paid on the property.
The home is the latest example of what Vincent said is a gap between what some residents perceive as blight and how it is defined and enforced by the town. Vincent is currently updating a 2016 report that lists blight elements from other towns that are currently not prohibited in Stonington as well as the challenges of enforcing the town’s current ordinance.
“We recognize that that the complaints don’t always align with the law. We’re making the community aware of the opportunities to
refine the law,” he said. “But it’s up to the community to decide the issue.”
Vincent added that he does not feel it is appropriate for him as blight officer to recommend changes.
“The law enforcement officer should not be making the law,” he said.
It would instead be up to the Board of Selectmen to recommend changes to the ordinance which would then have to be approved by voters at a town meeting.
Records show that the Velvet Lane house is owned by Dornoch Enterprises Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md. Its principal is Richard C. Zeskind, who is listed as the senior vice president of Eastern Savings Bank, which acquired the property last October after it foreclosed on a mortgage.
Dornoch and Eastern Savings Bank are located at the same address.
Twenty-one other holding companies, most named after many of the world’s most famous golf courses such as St. Andrews, Shinnecock and Cypress Point, have the same address as Dornoch and Eastern Savings Bank. Royal Dornoch, located in northern Scotland, is considered among the world’s best golf courses.
Zeskind said late last week that he did not know anything about the property or its condition.
“We typically don’t talk to the press,” he said.
Vincent said the property does not fit the definition of a blighted property under the town’s distressed premises ordinance. The town has cited other property owners under the ordinance in efforts to force them to repair or clean up their properties.
“If it meets the standard we would take action,” he said.
To be classified as a blighted property, one of five standards have to be met.
The building official, zoning officer or sanitarian has determined the property poses an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the community; inadequate maintenance or dilapidated condition has led to the cancellation of insurance on the property and/ or proximal properties; it has materially contributed to the decline in property values for proximal properties or the fire marshal has determined that it is a fire hazard. Vincent said the Velvet Lane property meets none of the four.
The fifth standard requires the property to have two or more of the following problems — missing, broken or boarded-up windows or doors; collapsing or missing exterior walls or doors: structurally faulty conditions, unrepaired fire or water damage; seriously damaged or missing siding and persistent garbage or trash on the property.
Vincent said the Velvet Lane home only meets one of the conditions — missing or broken windows or doors.
Unlike some communities, such as New London, the town has no requirement for mowed grass and neat landscaping.