Dangerous Buildings, Board of Review

BOARD OF REVIEW - DANGEROUS BUILDINGS MINUTES Wednesday, January 24, 2018, 5:00 PM Committee members present: Tucker Braddock Jr., Alderwoman Stacy Gould James Heist, Sofee Noblick James Quarto, and Gary Schnip Committee members absent: Darryl Wickham Others Present: Building Official James Troeger, Alderman Samuel Browning Citizens Present: None 1. Call to Order: Gary Schnip called the meeting to order at 5:16 PM. 2. Determination of a Quorum: It was determined that a quorum was present. 3. Acceptance of Minutes: On a motion by Tucker Braddock, seconded by Jim Quarto, the minutes of November 29, 2017 of the Board of Review (BOR) were unanimously approved as presented. 4. Public Comment: Alderman Samuel Browning spoke regarding 13 Baltic Street. He has spoken to City Counsel Michael Driscoll to discuss the possibility of an alternative way to establish clear title. He gave an example of a similar case in Bridgeport. The process typically takes about 6 months. This process can be done by the city to foreclose. He is happy to answer any questions pertaining to the case or the process. The recording secretary retained hard copy of the Bridgeport case. 5. Communications: None 6. Blight updates/concerns: a) 62 North Main Street: Jim T reported the taxes on the property are paid and the blight liens are $7,500. Blight liens continue to accrue. Alderwoman Gould will call the tax office to verify the threshold for the city to begin foreclosure proceedings. b) 554-556 East Main Street: Jim T reported taxes are current. This is still in court. c) 337-341 Main Street (YMCA): Jim T reported there was a homeless census done recently and it was found that the back door of the YMCA is open again. d) 26 Elijah Street: Alderwoman Gould reported that this property is on the list to go to tax auction in the spring. Shetucket Ridge Associates LLC owns several properties all in the same situation. She will have them plotted on a map to aid in property disposition decisions. e) Jordan’s Retaining Wall: Jim T reported there has been no action. f) 209 Boswell Avenue: Jim T reported the taxes are current. A violation notice has gone out. g) 38 West Main Street, Marina Towers (boats): Jim T reported a notice of violation has been sent. Taxes are current. h) Hale Mill: Jim T reported the real estate taxes are current. Personal property taxes are in arrears and collection efforts are being done. Tuesday, Richard Shuck and Jim Roberts will do a site visit. The railroad is owned by a company in Canada. i) 61 Lincoln Avenue: Jim T reported the taxes are current. Alderwoman Gould reported there is no change to the property. Jim T reported the owner has no active permits. Alderwoman Gould will follow up with Attorney Driscoll. 7. Watch List: a) 24 River Avenue: Alderwoman Gould reported this property is owned by Bank of NY Mellon as of January 10, 2018. The committee will continue to watch it. b) 31-33 Cliff Street (behind Chelsea Groton Bank): Alderwoman Gould reported that per the tax collector’s office this property is on the tax sale list for this spring. The unpaid taxes go back to 2011. c) Norwich Hospital Site: Jim T had no report. d) 482 – 492 Norwich Avenue: Alderwoman Gould reported it is now owned by the city as of January 8, 2018. Taxes are past due to 2013. 8. Foreclosure in Progress: a) 29 Boswell Avenue: Alderwoman Gould reported this is in active foreclosure. 9. City Owned Properties a) Reid and Hughes: Alderwoman Gould reported the potential developer was given another 60 days to secure funding to secure the building. b) 270 West Thames Street: Jim Q reported that during this week’s Redevelopment Agency meeting, it was discussed that Phase 1 and 2 environmental studies are done. Phase 3 is in process. c) 13 Baltic Street: Alderwoman Gould reported she will talk to Attorney Driscoll. d) 11 Lake Street: Per committee agreement, Gary Schnip will re-issue the letter recommending demolition. Cheryl Hansen is the new recreation director. She is interested in putting a play scape on the site. There may be Community Development Block Grant funding to demolish the building. It was agreed that Jim T begin getting estimates on demolition. The property is .06 acres and assessed at $51,000. Gary will copy Attorney Driscoll on the recommendation to demolish. e) 17/19 Stonington Road: Alderwoman Gould will check with Norwich Public Utilities regarding if the utilities are still on. The city is not collecting rent. f) 130 Prospect Street: This is a vacant lot. A blighted building was demolished on the site. Alderwoman Gould reported that the city demolished the building with CDBG funding. The funding was based on density reduction. A limited auction can be used. Sofee reported there is an abutter with a small right of way. It was decided that Tucker will speak to each of the abutters. 10. Other: a) Public Works Committee (PWC) Report: Alderwoman Gould has nothing new to report. 11. Next meeting: The next regular meeting is Wednesday, February 28, 2018, at 5 PM. 12. Adjournment: On a motion by Sofee Noblick, seconded by Jim Heist, the Board of Review unanimously adjourned at 6:24 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Melinda Wilson Recording Secretary