By Marney Simon | Bugle Staff
Last week, the members of Joliet’s Historic Preservation Commission (JHPC) approved a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the home at 220 Lincoln St., in the East Side Historic District.
A fire ripped through the residence on Feb. 7, 2015, causing extensive damage.
“The owner did work with an insurance company and the contractor… and the insurance money just went to cover the mortgage. So, it left her no funds and I don’t believe that she has access to funds to repair the property,” Gabriel Friend, Property Maintenance Coordinator for the city, explained to the HPC.
The home is a circa-1900 wood and scalloped shingle cladded two-story home.
In June of 2016, after 18 months of attempts to fix the home, the city council declared the property a public nuisance. A demolition decree was issued in May of this year.
Members of the JHPC were hesitant to okay the demolition, due to the home’s presence in one of Joliet’s historic areas, and asked if the city has the option to take over the property and attempt to repair or sell it, versus demolition. But, Friend said, the city doesn’t have funding to acquire damaged properties.
“The city doesn’t acquire property for that reason, to sell it,” he said. “We’ve tried to work with this owner… we tried to give her ample time to come up with funds or to sell the property, and it just has not happened. It’s been three and one-half years.”
Friend added that the city would also be responsible for any liens or late tax payments due on the property if it took over.
“It’s been there for about three and one-half years in that condition, the owner has been unable to make repairs and the council has declared it a public nuisance. What we’re seeking to do is remove the blight from the property,” Friend said.
The current owner will still own the lot, and the city will place a lien on the property for the cost of demolition. Demolition will cost between $10,000 and $15,000, plus the cost of asbestos abatement if necessary. Abatement could double the overall demolition costs.
Friend noted that the city has an ordinance to force property owners to maintain vacant lots, so that those lots do not become a dangerous area in the center of a residential neighborhood.
The home is considered “significant” as a contributing property inside the East Side National Registry District. The home is one of 51 properties designated for primary or secondary significance to the district.
If enough properties inside the district suffer from significant blight, it could affect the district’s status on the national registry.
The city did not need a certificate of appropriateness from the JHPC to move ahead with demolition, but presented the case to hear what the commission had to say on the matter.
HPC members said they’d like to see if the city could establish an incentive-based program to help people save or rehab homes in the district.
The East Side Historic District was established in 1980.
The funds for demolition will come from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, through a grant earmarked for demolition of nuisance properties. The city expects the property to be razed in two to three months.
PHOTOS
Photo by Marney Simon | Bugle Staff
This circa-1900 home on Lincoln Street is a contributing structure to Joliet’s East Side Historic District. But, the city will move ahead with demolition plans for the structure, which was ravaged by fire in 2015.