ASHLAND — To lien or not to lien?
That was the question board members of the Ashland County Land Reutilization Corporation — better known as the Ashland land bank — debated during a recent meeting.
After a lengthy discussion, the board unanimously decided to place liens on four properties it hopes to demolish.
A primer on demolitions
Here is some context on demolition and a rudimentary explanation on how the process unfolds.
There are multiple paths to demolition. Sometimes, a structure in foreclosure — whether residential or commercial — is put up for sale by auction through the sheriff’s office.
If the property sells, the new owner may decide to demolish the structure and replace it with a new build.
If there are two auctions and still no buyer, the property can be transferred to the land bank — where the structure could be demolished.
Other times, the existing owner simply pays for a demolition.
Sometimes, the land bank gains ownership of the property and funds the raze.
It’s rare, on occasion the Ashland land bank funds demolitions of properties it does not own. The existing owner retains ownership, gets the structure demolished through the land bank and then possibly builds something new.
The above scenario — known as an “agreement for nuisance removal” — is currently playing out for the Ashland land bank on four properties.
- 33 High St., Hayesville
- 329 Dorchester St., Ashland
- 6 West Main St., Jeromesville (known as J-Ville Pub)
- 919 U.S. Route 224, Nova (known as the Reed House)
The inherent risk associated with the nuisance removal scenario, according to land bank board members, is paying for a demolition that increases the value of the property. And then the owner turns around and sells that property for more than it cost for the land bank to demolish the “nuisance” structure.
To avoid that risk, the board debated whether to implement a permanent policy. The policy would require the land bank to place a lien on properties when funding a demolition.
The five-year lien would be worth whatever it cost to demolish the structure. (Demolitions currently cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 in Ohio. They are more if the demolition includes asbestos removal.)
Ultimately, the board decided against a blanket policy.
Instead, the lien would only apply to the four properties in question. The liens will last for five years and they will be worth whatever it cost the land bank to demolish the structure.
A ‘blessing’
Robin Beasley, mayor of Hayesville, said the nuisance removal agreement will serve in the village’s best interest. She said the house on 33 High St., in particular, has been in disrepair for a while.
“So we’ve been patient with that,” Beasley said. “The house was just a mess.”
Marvin Neubig, 69, the owner of the property at 33 High St., said he bought the house seven years ago with hopes to rehabilitate it. He soon found out, however, it was too cost prohibitive.
“The house was built in 1888,” he said. “It has sandstone rocks that were laid on top of one another.
“Throughout time, water had gotten through it. So a lot of the foundation is gone.”
He said rebuilding the foundation was determined to be too unsafe because the beams underneath the house are rotten.
Neubig lives in one of two barns on the property. It has electricity, but not plumbing; the U.S. Navy Vietnam era veteran showers at the YMCA and Brethren Care Village. He said he has a camper, where he sometimes sleeps. But costly repairs to its water lines have prevented him from making it his primary residence.
“It can be rough,” he said of his living situation. “It takes some patience.”
Neubig said he lives on a fixed income and is currently unemployed. However, he plans to go back to school in the fall to earn an engineering degree from Ashland University through a Veterans Affairs program.
Beasley described the agreement as a win-win for everyone involved, for the village’s residents and for Neubig.
“It’s a blessing this house is coming down,” she said.
This scenario can play out in other villages and townships around Ashland County, but only if the legislative body adopts an ordinance outlining the agreement for nuisance removal.
Currently, the city of Ashland and the villages of Perrysville and Hayesville are the only places in the county that have these agreements in place.
For this scenario to play out for the two other properties mentioned above, Jeromesville and Nova will need to adopt those ordinances, said Angie McQuillen, the Ashland County Treasurer.