1 of 3
Sarah Finnegan
Several homes in the Homewood area have been marked as condemned by the city. A home on Yorkshire Drive is being considered for such but was recently purchased by new owners.
2 of 3
Sarah Finnegan
Several homes in the Homewood area have been marked as condemned by the city. 1701 26th Ave S
3 of 3
Sarah Finnegan
Several homes in the Homewood area have been marked as condemned by the city. 1612 25th Ct. S.
A second round of public nuisance hearings resulted in the Homewood City Council condemning two properties at its Dec. 18 meeting, with two others continued into January to see if the owners make sufficient progress in fixing dangerous and neglected conditions.
The two condemned properties are 1612 25th Court S. and 2708 17th St. S., which city inspections official Wyatt Pugh called "terribly dangerous" and "pretty shockingly bad," respectively. The problems with the properties included structural damage and being open to the elements, Pugh said.
The owner of the home on 25th Court South attended the meeting and asked for more time to improve the property, which she said has been vacant for about 12 years. A new owner purchased the 17th Street South property earlier this week and sent plans to the city council describing her intent to renovate the property. However, this did not sway the council's vote on either property.
The property owners have a 30-day period to appeal the decision, after which time the city can choose to demolish structures declared unsafe, remove overgrowth and otherwise bring the properties into compliance with zoning laws. The cost of these efforts would be placed in a tax lien on the properties.
City attorney Mike Kendrick said the owners can also choose to apply for permits to begin work repairing or demolishing the structures on their own, at which point the city can decide to delay any demolition if significant progress is being shown.
Three other properties also had public hearings tonight to consider condemnation. The first, 528 Yorkshire Drive, was dropped because a construction permit has been issued by the city and Pugh said work is active on the site.
Consideration of 2516 17th St. S. was carried over to the Jan. 16 council meeting because the new owner, who attended tonight's council meeting, has applied for a building permit and has plans to remodel and fix the hole in the home's roof and the structural issues on the front porch, among other problems Pugh identified.
The final property, 1613 25th Court S., was also carried over to Jan. 16 because the property was in less severe condition, Pugh said, and the house has been in an inheritance litigation battle. An attorney for one of the inheritors spoke to the council and said the home will be demolished and rebuilt as soon as her client receives the deed.
These two homes will be reconsidered to see if sufficient progress has been made. The home at 2531 18th Place S. will also be considered for condemnation on Jan. 16.
In its last meeting before the new year, the council also:
- Approved a new contract with Republic Services to provide recycling pickup to the city. The new contract costs $3.60 per household, an increase from the previous contract of $3.55 per household.
- Approved alcohol licenses for the following locations, dependent on approval from the fire and police departments: Urban Cookhouse, 1920 29th Ave. S.; Big Bad Breakfast, 1926 29th Ave. S.; Nabeel's Cafe, 1706 Oxmoor Rd.; and Pizzeria GM, 600 Oak Grove Rd.
- Approved Urban Air Trampoline Park to put an oversized sign on the former Jimmie Hale Mission: Possible thrift store, where the company plans to create Urban Air Raceway. Ward 2 Representatives Mike Higginbotham and Andrew Wolverton voted against the sign variance. Mission: Possible closed in May.
- Approved the owner of 307 Broadway Street to plant two red maple trees in the city right-of-way, with three council members objecting: Ward 4 Representatives Barry Smith and Alex Wyatt and Ward 3 Representative Walter Jones. The homeowner said the trees grow 25 to 30 feet high but their root structure is not likely to damage sidewalks or other parts of the city right-of-way.
- Appointed Robert Burgett to the role of assistant city clerk. Burgett is currently the city's senior accountant.
- Approved rezoning 123 West Oxmoor Road, 240 Snow Drive and 100 and 900 Homewood Park West from Light Manufacturing District and I-1 Institutional District to I-3 Institutional District to allow the development of West Homewood Park.
- Declared a 2002 Chevy Tahoe, 2003 Chevy pickup, a 2006 Ford Crown Vic and a 2006 Ford 500 as surplus city property.
- Set a bid opening date for demolition and abatement on the future public safety center location for Feb. 1, 2018.
