The Derby Board of Aldermen voted last month to start foreclosure proceedings on four blighted and abandoned properties in the city.
The vote was unanimous.
The properties are:
- 245 Francis St.
- 196 Derby Ave.
- 189 Derby Ave.
- 105 Hawkins St.
Those properties were on the top of a “most blighted” list compiled by city officials earlier this year. Click here to read a previous Valley Indy story on the properties. Blighted properties face fines of $100 per day.
Here is some background on each property:
245 Francis St. is the former home of a business called Castle Seltzer. Its owner, Brian Dworkin, abandoned the property and left the state. It has been on the city’s blight list since August 2008 and accumulated $149,5000 in fines.
In addition, there are $9,922.57 in back taxes owed on the property.
The property attracts rodents and is, in general, a mess. The doors to the building remain open all the time, leaving the potential for squatters and Lord knows what else.
196 Derby Ave. was the scene of a deadly fire in March 2010. Its owner had expressed an intent to rebuild, but never moved forward. The property is an abandoned eyesore that stands out like a sore thumb on Derby Avenue. It has been on the city’s blight list since August 2010 and owes $77,000 in fines, not to mention $9,538 in sewer taxes.
189 Derby Ave. has been on the city’s blight list since October 2008. The residential building was put up for auction, according to city documents, but there were no buyers. It has a blight lien of $144,300 and $1,862 in back sewer taxes.
105 Hawkins St. is abandoned and has been on the blight list since October 2009. Since then it has amassed $109,100 in fines, plus back taxes. The two-family property had an internal water leak that caused mold to form inside.
The Aldermen voted to start foreclosure on the properties Oct. 25.
After the vote, Mayor Anthony Staffieri said taking over the properties is a good thing for the city.
Precisely what the city will do with the properties remains to be seen. If they are sold, the city will place deed restriction on the properties to make sure they don’t become multi-family apartments, because Derby is struggling with a density problem and ever-increasing school costs.
“The neighbors (to the blighted properties) are happy that we’re moving forward,” Staffieri said. “These are properties that are not being maintained, they are not being taken of — and they’re not paying taxes.”
