City 'nuisance' resolution prepares four vacant homes for demolition

Council Member Kenneth Montlack introduced three resolutions at the May 16 city council meeting that declared properties on Coventry Road to be public nuisances. A fourth resolution declared a Northcliffe Road property to be a nuisance. All four resolutions, which passed unanimously, authorized abatement of the nuisance--likely to lead to demolition of the houses.

Photos of each property were displayed at the meeting to illustrate the severe structural issues. While three of the properties are located in close proximity on the same street, Rick Wagner, manager of housing programs for Cleveland Heights, declined to frame it as a neighborhood issue.

“It’s not so much a north Coventry issue as it is a local and even national issue,” he said, noting that the foreclosure crisis has played an integral role in the demise of these properties.

Montlack agreed, saying that the issue isn't specific to the north Coventry neighborhood but rather to any neighborhood with a lot of two-family and rental properties. 

“Most of the problem properties are on submarket streets or neighborhoods,” Montlack said in a later interview. “North Coventry has had up-and-down two-family houses. In general, streets and parts of streets with up-and-down two-family houses have weaker housing markets and are less desirable for people with choices.”

All four of the "nuisance" homes are unoccupied. While Cleveland Heights has rehabilitated some such homes for resale, both Wagner and Montlack believe these four are past the point of no return.

The two-family home at 1633 Coventry Road, owned by Caden Development LLC of South Bend, Indiana, has numerous broken windows and the plumbing has been removed. A memorandum from Wagner to Robert Downey, city manager, regarding the property stated: “The exterior is rapidly deteriorating due to needed roof repair/replacement… The property has been broken into and suffers from serious neglect. The cost of rehabilitation would far exceed the property value.” Foreclosure for the residence was filed in March 2009.

The three-family dwelling at 1655 Coventry Road is owned by Yolanda Collier, of Shaker Heights, but is currently unoccupied. The property has been previously posted by Cuyahoga County. It needs lead abatement, major foundation work and a new roof. In a memo to Downey, Wagner wrote: “The owner has allowed a supposed workman to stay in the house even though the water has been turned off. The repair of the property, combined with the back taxes that have accumulated, make the financial feasibility of the rehabilitation prohibitive.”

The two-family house at 1724 Coventry is currently owned by XBY LLC of Austin, Texas. It requires major engineering work and a new garage, with needed repairs estimated at more than $100,000.

The single-family home at 3563 Northcliffe Road is owned by William Holmes, who is currently incarcerated, according to the city. Wagner's memo stated: “The house continues to deteriorate. And poses a blighting influence on the neighborhood. Repairs to the property far exceed the value.”

As a result of the council's action, the city was to issue an order of nuisance abatement to each property owner on May 23--giving the owner 30 days to make itemized repairs. If the owners fail to comply, the city will begin the process to demolish the structures.

“The city pays for the demolition and then we file a tax lien on the property to recoup the funds,” Wagner said. He added that Cleveland Heights was one of the first cities in the country to practice this kind of cost recovery.