COLUMBUS — The city of Columbus has recently filed liens for 12 pieces of property on which a total of $8,325.39 in remediation has been completed.
City public works crews have cleaned those lots to rid them of blight, which may have required cutting grass, demolishing dilapidated structures, removing asbestos or a combination of those three.
A lien is placed on a property until its owner pays the amount it cost to have the lot cleaned. Before it gets to that point, the owner has the option of cleaning up after city code enforcement issues a notice of violation. If the owner does not respond, his case is put on the city’s dilapidated property list and he can come ask for more time to clean it up during a hearing at the next city council meeting. If he does not attend or if he does but his request is not granted, immediate abatement is recommended. Any work the city does after the council approves the recommendation is tacked on to the owner’s ad valorem tax.
Addresses of the remediated properties include 2212 Fourth Ave. S., 1411 22nd St. N., 2408 Third Ave. S, 708 Fifth St. S, 422 24th St. S, 715 16th St. N., 1700 block of Fifth Ave. N., 1219 Shady St., 1513 Fifth Ave. N., 1008 15th St. N. and 1601 Eighth Ave. N.
City councilmen set the goal during a December retreat of ridding the city of 50 percent of dilapidated properties through remediation or structure demolition.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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