The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Demo board condemns 11 buildings
The Lorain Demolition Board of Appeals condemned 11 houses, meaning the structures eventually could be torn down.
On Feb. 27, the board spent more than 90 minutes deliberating on the case of the Parkview Motel, 4851 W. Erie Ave.
The city in 2015 first took action against nuisance conditions there, but there never was any demolition and court actions have pushed the case into 2019.
But the motel was not the only case.
The demo board had 11 houses on the list for the February meeting and the board voted the properties were nuisances to the public health and safety of Lorain.
Board members voted the conditions should be abated through demolition.
Housing Inspector Chris Yates presented photographs that showed what has become a familiar list of problems plaguing Lorain’s abandoned and empty homes.
Lorain Safety-Service Director Dan Given also asked if it appeared the repair costs would be at least 50 percent of the value of the structure, or more.
No guarantee
The demo board vote is not a guarantee of a quick demolition.
For months, city administration and staff have stated Lorain does not have funding needed to pay for contractors to raze the houses.
The condemned houses are:
• 123 W. 31st St.: The front porch leaned, the side door was boarded up.
An abandoned car had tires stacked on it and its own tires sunk into the ground.
A chopped up boat sat partly in the garage with other garbage someone dumped there. Inside the
house, cabinets and a drop ceiling were missing and carpet was wet, among other problems.
Back taxes owed were $4,526.
• 216 E. 31st St.: “This was a fire, obviously,” Yates said.
It was abandoned for years and had dumping of tires and garbage, overgrowth of plants around the property.
There were columns leaning and “total fire damage,” Yates said.
Back taxes were $14,309.
• 318 W. 25th St.: The porch was about to cave in; along the side of the house, the foundation was leaning inward, Yates said.
“As you can see, mortar joints are failing,” he said.
The property had dumping, and inside it, appeared people picked up and moved but didn’t take anything.
And now, there is evidence of squatters, animals and a fire inside, Yates said.
In the basement, a foundation wall was leaning in at “an extreme angle,” with foundation blocks loose, Yates said.
The foundation is in “dire condition,” with all four walls collapsing, he said.
Back taxes were $16,560.
• 323 W. 29th St.: Lorain police constantly receive calls about people squatting on the property and drug use there, with people sleeping there at night, Yates said.
The foundation is failing and a retaining wall of the foundation is caving in. There is a disabled vehicle in back.
The ceilings inside were gone and wood and debris were stacked; couches, candles and clothes were in an area set up as a “living room,” and it appeared someone was sleeping in an upstairs bathtub.
Back taxes were $815.
• 401 W. 21st St.: That is the Graziano Insurance building, a commercial structure, and it was approved for demolition in 2014 under a different statute, Yates said.
“People are just dumping stuff right in front of the place,” he said. “People are starting to really use this as a dumpsite.”
There was evidence of someone trying to set the building on fire and its deck was compromised by the fire.
Inside, there was a lot of moisture and damage, leadbased paint and construc-
tion debris from previous restoration efforts.
There were no back taxes owed.
Yates said a new owner recently purchased the property.
“Well, welcome to Lorain,” Given said.
• 2334 Apple Ave.: “This is one of the bad ones, it’s totally overgrown,” Yates said. “This house has been like this since I started in 2015. There’s multitudes of mattresses and trash in here. This actually used to be a nice home.”
The garage has become a dump site.
The roof is totally decayed over the home and porch; there were piles of animal feces inside showing an infestation and something was bedding in ceiling insulation.
Owners Julio and Julia Gonzalez both are deceased, Yates said. Back taxes were $10,041.
• 2507 W. Erie Ave.: The commercial structure formerly was a bank, but it was forfeited to the state of Ohio due to back taxes of $45,895.
There is overgrowth of plants and graffiti on the outside.
Inside, there was moss
growing on the carpet, exposed wire and heating elements starting to collapse.
The rear drive-through area is starting to collapse and there are bullet holes in a back window, Yates said.
“This building is a total loss,” he said.
Once forfeited to the state, it does not pay for demolition, but instead tries to sell the properties, Yates said.
• 2518 Caroline Ave.: Yates said he first posted the house as unsafe in 2015. The roof is totally past its life expectancy and is leaking.
People have started to rip the aluminum siding off.
There is overgrowth and debris and failing exterior structures.
Inside, there was evidence of someone squatting and wet, moldy carpet. Back taxes were $9,930.
• 3326 Camden Ave.: The property has sold at least three times since 2015 and is always open, never secured and is a cause of constant complaints in the neighborhood, Yates said.
The house foundation is cracking and a masonry veneer is peeling and cracking.
There is wet, moldy carpet, holes in the doors and walls, a failing roof and holes in the porch. Back taxes were $738.
• 3426 Oakdale Ave.: People have started to dump tree clippings and wood on the property.
There is a disabled vehicle and debris on the property
Inside, there was evidence of someone squatting and an animal ripped up a mattress for bedding.
There is “very extensive” bowing and a crack in a foundation wall.
Owner Arlan W. Koachway Jr. is deceased, Yates said. Back taxes were $16,125.
• 3730 Lexington Ave.: The house is a one-story, flat-roof home with overgrowth, broken windows, missing gutters and the rear yard “is like a little jungle back there,” Yates said.
Inside has mattresses stacked with debris and holes in the walls.
The ceiling is totally moldy due to severe roof leaks and part of the roof is collapsing.
“This house hasn’t been maintained in, I couldn’t tell you how long,” Yates