Neighbors say vacant North West Street house is an eyesore and a hazard
The city boarded up the home after children got inside. Officials say they need a health or safety finding before they can do more.
Neighbors of a vacant house in the 300 block of North West Street asked City Council on Monday night to do something about it.
Safety-Service Director Jeff Crosby said the city boarded up the home over the weekend after complaints that children and others were getting in through a window where an air conditioner had been removed, a broken back door and a basement door. A neighbor told council the house is full of trash and animal waste, that it is a health hazard and that it hurts property values. Neighbors said the roof leaks, the walls and ceilings are damaged and the yard is overgrown.
Crosby said he and police had talked with the owner, who lives outside the city and promised to secure the property. He has also contacted the health department. For the city to act on its own, he said, the house must be declared a health hazard or structurally unsafe, and he did not believe it was structurally unsafe.
Ohio counties can use land banks to take over abandoned properties; see the Ohio Department of Development. Related: the citywide CRA. More in Local News.