Demo board to consider 17 houses

Lorain Demolition Board of Appeals will consider whether another 17 properties are public nuisances that should be torn down.

The demo board will resume its deliberations at 9 a.m. Jan. 18 at Lorain City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave. The board has published a list of 17 homes up for review.

Nine of the homes are in Lorain’s Ward 1, which is much of the city’s east side, bordered roughly by Lake Erie, Lorain’s eastern city limit, the Black River and Colorado Avenue.

“So, I’m as pleased as punch,” said Ward 1 Councilwoman Beth Henley, who was elected in

November 2017 and is the newest member of Council.

Vacant, run-down homes were “a big bone of contention” on the campaign trail for the Ward 1 seat last year, Henley said.

She said residents would call and ask her to stop by their streets and look at homes deteriorating in the neighborhoods.

The houses on Paine Street and Colorado, Euclid and Ohio avenues all were reported to the city, Henley said.

“They all need to come down,” she said.

Henley described the house at 2911 Cleveland Blvd., which sits next door to her own residence.

She noted city workers posted a “condemned” sign on the house.

“There’s all kinds of animals living in there, holes in the roof,” Henley said. “The garage is ready to fall over. It’s not in good shape.

“I’ve worked for builders most of my life. It’s beyond repair, in my opinion.”

Along with the homes listed for the Jan. 18 meeting, Henley recalled at least two others in Ward 1 city inspectors need to visit, including one on Florida Avenue.

The Demolition Board of Appeals is the legal process to declare whether homes are nuisances to public health and safety, said Safety-Service Director Dan Given.

“The demo board is really there outlining that it needs to be address,” Given said. “We still have the secondary aspect of, how does it get addressed?”

The rulings do not state the city will demolish the homes anytime soon.

Henley acknowledged the process may take time.

“I know it’s a matter of funds, but we have to start somewhere,” she said.

The city administration, Law Department and code inspectors realize it can help to focus on specific areas of Lorain instead of bouncing around the city, Given said.

Lorain’s east side has problems, but the city has a number of homes that should be knocked down and the east side is really no different from the west side and central Lorain, he said.

City officials and staff have developed the legal process to consider the conditions of the houses, Given said.

City inspectors obtain search warrants to enter each house.

They visit each site and document their findings to present to the demolition board, with a goal of considering 15 to 25 houses per meeting.

The board met in October and November 2017, and this year, will have to look ahead to see what actions the city could take to achieve results, Given said.

The city of Lorain will continue working with the Lorain County Land Reutilization Board, commonly known as the county land bank, to demolish the homes as money becomes available, he said.

The other homes on the potential demolition list are: • 1120 W. Erie Ave. • 1038 W. Erie Ave. • 307 Colorado Ave. • 413 Colorado Ave. • 1925 Colorado Ave. • 1524 Paine St. • 1626 Euclid Ave. • 1620 Ohio Ave. • 920 Euclid Ave. • 2911 Cleveland Blvd. • 1364 E. Erie Ave. • 906 E. Erie Ave. • 217 Iowa Ave. • 1939 Lexington Ave. • 4125 Ashland Ave. • 61010 Baldwin Ave. • 6068 Dorwood Drive The meetings are open to the public and take place in the first floor City Council Chambers.

Vacant, run-down homes were “a big bone of contention” on the campaign trail for the Ward 1 seat last year, Henley said.