MOUNT VERNON — In what felt like formal court proceedings, the Property Maintenance Appeals Board voted unanimously on Thursday to condemn the former middle school at 301 N. Mulberry St.
The owner has 180 days to demolish the structure, but the board left the door open to revisit the issue should certain conditions be met.
Jason and Larry Gunsorek own the building. Developer Joel Mazza is interested in buying and redeveloping the property. That interest — and the form the redvelopment might take — depends largely on whether the current zoning can be changed.
In an appeals board meeting Jan. 31, Mazza said he had no interest in using the existing structure and planned to tear it down. However, that plan has potentially changed based on research Mazza did in the interim.
“This property is located in an opportunity zone, which makes it very attractive for redevelopment,” he said. “Although it’s not necessarily my intent in its current state, it also qualifies for historical tax credits if the property was redeveloped, which economically would help make it feasible in its current state.”
Under its current zoning, if the building was razed, the most a developer could put on the property is 16 single-family units. Mazza said that with the cost of demolition, $200,000, it is not economically feasible to raze the building and redevelop it into just 16 units.
Mazza said that if the parcel is rezoned, he would like to put in a 65-unit development. Noting that he likes new construction, he said his preference is to rezone the parcel, finalize details such as curb cuts and density, raze the school, and then rebuild. If the property is not rezoned, with the opportunity zone and historical tax credits available, the current structure could be redeveloped as senior housing or apartments.
Greg Bemiller, property enforcement officer for the city, recommended demolition based on numerous break-ins, unsecured doors, and the building being an unsafe structure and unfit for habitation. Additionally, elevator shafts and stairwells are open, bricks and facade are falling, and the doors on ground level are accessible to break-in.
Under cross questioning by Attorney Noel Alden, who represents the Gunsoreks, Bemiller acknowledged the foundation was structurally sound. Alden presented an engineering study conducted Dec. 20, 2017, that reported “although the aesthetics are troublesome,” the building was structurally sound.
Mazza, who has been inside the building on several occasions within the past week, said the school has a new roof that carries a lifespan of 65 years if properly maintained. He also feels the building is secure.
Law Director Rob Broeren pointed out that it recently took a Mount Vernon police officer only three minutes to get through the fence and break into the building through a door. He also noted that work the board wanted completed by December 2018 has not been done, nor did Mazza bring documents to Thursday’s meeting the board requested at the January meeting.
The Gunsoreks paid back taxes of $13,557, current and future taxes through Dec. 31, 2019, and filing fees. Mazza has a contract option to buy the property from the Gunsoreks and has the money in escrow.
Mazza believes he can work through zoning issues within three to six months and that demolition would not take very long. Since the property owner must request zoning changes, Mazza said he was sure the Gunsoreks would be willing to do so.
Alden said the Gunsoreks would be open to considering 24/7 monitoring such as security cameras or motion detectors.
Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Hillier told board members the city has heard a “song and dance for 24 years about this middle school.”
“Do we condemn it under the current owner or consider it based on potential?” he asked. “We just wasted well over an hour. Condemn it. Period.”
The board had two options: condemn with demolition in 180 days or condemn with rehabilitation in 90 days. The board voted to condemn with demolition in 180 days.
City Engineer Brian Ball, chairman of the appeals board, said the vote gives the public assurance there is a timeline that something is being done, and the owner or potential owner assurance to see what work and action they can get done. The timeline starts when the city notifies the owners what work needs to be done.
Ball said that once enough of the work is done, a future meeting could be scheduled to re-evaluate the situation. Broeren anticipates the 180 days to start on or around Monday, if not before.
