Progress slow on demo project

Elyria, Lorain report on knock-downs of blighted houses

Crews are demolishing blighted houses around Lorain County, although the progress may not be as fast as some neighbors would like, said city officials in Lorain and Elyria.

The two largest cities in the county, along with the Lorain County Land Reutilization Corp., also known as the county land bank, have programs in place to knock down vacant houses that have deteriorated to become public health nuisances.

Demolitions of vacant properties have gone through stops and starts in recent years, partly due to weather and largely due to money available

for the local governments to pay for the work.

Weather and finances allowed demolitions to continue in both cities during the 2017-18 winter season.

“In 2018, we’ve taken down 17, probably in the last 30 days,” said Kevin A. Brubaker, assistant safetyservice director for the city of Elyria.

Elyria

In the latest round of demolitions, the city of Elyria has worked with the county land bank. They have overseen the demolition of a dozen houses in Elyria: • 7330 W. River Road • 143 Fourth St. • 138 Charles St. • 1830 West Ave. • 4 Woodford Ave. • 355 10th St. • 146 Oak St. • 1861 Middle Ave. • 428 East Ave. • 434 East Ave. • 116 Byington Court • 101 Lowell St. The city of Elyria also has reaped the benefits of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Beginning in about 2010, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development began issuing money for communities to raze dwellings that were abandoned during the foreclosure crisis of the time.

The goal was to stabilize housing values in neighborhoods by removing houses that were dragging down property values because of deteriorating conditions.

The program allowed cities to use some of the money to renovate homes to sell.

Elyria did that and eventually sold the homes.

The city then used that money, about $40,000 added to $100,000 from the city general fund, to pay for demolitions at 223 Roosevelt Ave., 255 Roosevelt Ave. and 135 Lake Ave., Brubaker said.

The city also paid for demolition at 546 Furnace St. A private owner paid to tear down 546 Furnace St.

Even with demolitions, the condemned building list may grow because neighbors see the wrecking crews and news reports of the tear-downs, then call City Hall to ask about other derelict houses, Brubaker said.

“It starts to pique people’s interest again,” he said.

Lorain

Lorain’s list of potential problem properties has grown to almost 290 entries, according to the spreadsheet compiled by city staff.

Lorain Safety-Service Director Dan Given has overseen the city’s Demolition Board of Appeals and he shared the city list.

Last fall, the board began holding monthly meetings to consider condemning houses as nuisances to public health.

The demo board in February ordered demolition of another 11 properties: • 221 Illinois Ave. • 806 E St. • 1507 New Jersey Ave. • 1548 Maine Ave. • 1623 Nevada Ave. • 1627 Pennsylvania Ave. • 2026 Hancock St. • 2823 Crehore Ave. • 2926 and 2937 Garfield Blvd. • 3155 McKinley St. “There’s certainly an abundance of property,” said Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer. “We’ve made a lot of good progress on the residential side.”

Ritenauer said he remains hopeful there could be federal and state help to pay for demolition of commercial

properties.

The city will continue to take aim at residential and commercial properties, but it does not have a lot of money available to pay contractors to take down the buildings, the mayor said.

It could be possible to use federal community development money to pay for demolition.

“I think it’s a very good use of those dollars, especially if the building is in a low- to moderate-income area,” Ritenauer said. “Those definitely qualify.”

Good bad examples

Lorain has examples of streets with multiple properties that must be torn down.

The Polish Legion of American Veterans Pulski Post No. 38 stands at 550 W. 14th St.

The Lorain demo board and the Lorain Fire Department have recommended demolishing the building. But that is a commercial property with no city money available for knock-down.

Two doors to the east, on Feb. 27, an excavator sat at the lot at 520 W. 15th St.

That house was owned by the Lorain County land bank and was demolished in

February.

Next door to that, heading east, was the house 494 W. 14th St.

In October 2013 and October 2017, the city condemned the white bungalow, which still is standing – but barely.

When city inspectors arrived to check the property last year, Lorain Building Inspector Eric Elmi said they would not go in because the failing roof and walls are “ready to fall down at any moment.”

At 494 W. 14th St., a neighbor pointed out a large hole in the roof on the west side of the house, where it appeared planted trees were the only thing holding up the house wall.

The top roof line appears to sag, and on the east side of the house, the eastern wall is bowing and appears ready to collapse, said the neighbor, who asked to remain unidentified.

Behind the house, people use the space for a trash dump, the neighbor said.

That house remains under private ownership, according to records from the Lorain County Auditor’s Office.

It was unclear when the house will be torn down.