Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Transit

 

TO:

Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager

CC:

Scott McCullough, Director Planning & Development Services

FROM:

Planning and Development Services Staff

DATE:

July 29, 2015

RE:

Property Maintenance Standards and Enforcement

 

Background

The structure at 912 Chalk Hill Ct. is a single family detached vacant house with a reverse bi-level floor plan that is owned by Karen Braley.  For several years, staff has responded to neighbor complaints regarding the overall condition of the exterior and has sent Ms. Braley written correspondence to an address in Desoto, Kansas, which staff believes is her primary residence.  In addition, staff has spoken to her by phone on a few occasions. Unfortunately, staff’s written correspondence and phone conversations did not lead to any improvements to the exterior of the house.

 

Staff believes Ms. Braley abandoned the property many years ago; utilities have been inactive since at least 2009. Neighbors state they have not seen Ms. Braley for quite some time, and neighbors have periodically mowed the yard and trimmed/removed tree branches to keep the property from becoming overly blighted. 

 

As a result of the abandonment, the exterior of the house continues to deteriorate.  A recent inspection clearly showed the house needs to be painted; there are many shrubs and trees that continue to grow against the foundations walls that may cause future foundation problems, and there is  significant siding deterioration on the east side of the chimney chase.  Neighbors have also conveyed that there was a water leak a few years ago that most likely caused insanitary conditions inside the house and possible mold growth. 

 

Due to Ms. Braley’s failure to respond and deteriorating property conditions as described above, staff applied for an administrative search warrant to inspect the interior of the house to document the scope of deterioration.

 

On July 9, 2015, staff executed a search warrant (issued by the Douglas County District Court of Douglas County on July 8, 2015).  The inspection confirmed that the house has not been maintained in a safe, habitable, sanitary and code compliant condition for a significant period of time.

 

The following is a summary of staff’s findings.

 

Exterior observations:

 

1.    The chimney chase has a large gaping hole on the east side from the roof line to the foundation. The wood framing at the location of the sill plate is rotting and will continue to worsen in the absence of wall sheathing and appropriate weatherization.

2.    There are large amounts of vegetation and trees growing up against the south, east and west walls as well as onto the siding, causing damage to the siding.

3.    The sill plate under the rear sliding door (lower level) is completely rotted.

4.    The garage door is damaged and has a hole at the floor. This section is separating from the structural framing of the door.

5.    There are many areas of the house that need painted including trim board, window trim and the body of the house. 

Interior observations:

 

1.    There are numerous areas on the ceiling with evidence of water damage (throughout the entire structure, including the garage).

2.    A large portion of the ceiling in the south bedroom (upstairs) has completely fallen down and appears to be a result of a roof leak.

3.    There is mold throughout the structure, particularly on the lower level in a bedroom, hallway, bathroom and dining room. The air quality is poor due to these conditions.

4.    Many areas of the floor on the lower level continue to be saturated with water. 

Staff Recommendation

It is staff’s opinion that the house is an unsafe and dangerous structure and unfit for human occupancy due to the extensive amount of mold growth and water damage within the structure, which has created very poor air quality.  As clearly shown in pictures taken at the time of the execution of the warrant, there is a severe water infiltration problem due to roof leaks that will create additional mold and structural problems.   In addition, without proper weatherization through roof/siding repair and the painting of the siding and trim, the structural deterioration will continue at an accelerated rate.  Due to these findings, staff has prepared Resolution No. 7130 for adoption to set a public hearing date to consider declaring the structure as dangerous and unsafe and ordering the structure to be repaired or demolished.

 

Action Requested

Adopt Resolution No. 7130 to set a public hearing date of September 22, 2015, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-1750 et. seq., to consider declaring the structure as dangerous and unsafe and ordering the structure to be repaired or demolished.