Two derelict houses in Newbury’s Restful Lake community are still standing to the frustration of neighbors and the embarrassment of local officials who have made several attempts during the last three years to get them demolished.
Two derelict houses in Newbury’s Restful Lake community are still standing to the frustration of neighbors and the embarrassment of local officials who have made several attempts during the last three years to get them demolished.
The houses, at 11708 and 11716 Portlew Road, have been in uninhabitable condition for more than three years and several neighbors have complained to township trustees they cannot sell their homes because the two structures are eyesores that hurt surrounding property values.
Trustees have tried since early 2018 to order the houses — built in 1940 and listed in “poor” condition on the Geauga County Auditor’s Office website — either repaired or demolished.
Under Ohio law, townships are charged with maintaining the health, safety and welfare of the public through zoning resolutions.
Townships have the authority to order structures to be demolished at the public’s expense if they are deemed unsafe, unsecure and uninhabitable, under Ohio law, but there are several specific procedural steps that must be taken, including notification of the property owners, providing for a public hearing if the owners request it and setting deadlines.
Although the demolition costs come out of the township’s general fund, local governments can put a lien on the property in the hope of recouping the expenses when the property is sold.
Trustees have been required to re-start the notification process several times over the past two years because the two houses have changed owners several times, said Newbury Trustee Glen Quigley, who has guided the effort.
For the past several years, trustees have targeted derelict houses and commercial buildings throughout the township. Most of those have been cleaned up.
In July, Quigley apologized to Portlew neighbors, many of whom frequently attend trustees’ meetings looking for updates on the many delays in the process, which he said were due to missing some notification deadlines and for dealing over and over again with new owners.
At the Aug. 19 trustees meeting, Quigley said certified notification letters were going out to the two latest property owners once again, with a target date of Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. for a public hearing if one is requested.
“I will keep a checklist of the deadlines,” Quigley promised. “If someone requests a public hearing, they will have to contact (Fiscal Officer Beverly Sustar). If no hearing is requested, all we have to do is meet as a board less than 30 days after the letters are received. We will meet then and decide what to do — either take out the structures or do nothing.”
The Portlew Saga
- 1940: Houses are constructed in the Restful Lake community of Newbury at what is now 11708 and 11716 Portlew Road.
- 2017: Township zoning officials received complaints both properties were in poor condition.
- February 2018: Newbury Trustee Glen Quigley announced the Geauga County Building Department declared both structures unsafe and uninhabitable.
- March 2018: Trustees sent letters to owners of both properties asking them to repair or demolish the houses. Quigley said there was no response.
- April 2018: Trustees agree to order both structures demolished. Quigley said the township’s legal counsel said trustees should pass resolutions to notify the property owners, who would then have 20 days to respond and request a hearing. Trustees could schedule a hearing within 15 days and would then have 30 days to order demolition to go forward.
- August 2018: Quigley said the township needed to re-start the notification process because both houses had been sold to new owners.
- October 2018: 11716 Portlew was purchased at Sheriff’s sale for $100 by William Nicolet.
- January 15, 2019: 11708 Portlew was purchased by Julia Lindsay from Marc Dasen for $30,000.
- August 2019: Township trustees apologized to concerned Portlew neighbors that the houses had not been demolished after 18 months. Quigley said the process was delayed because the properties kept changing owners.
- August 2019: Trustee Greg Tropf said he received preliminary estimates of $7,500 each for demolishing the structures. Quigley said one of the two property owners was demolishing his structure by hand and trustees expressed safety concerns. Trustees agreed to notify both owners the structures would be demolished by Sept. 18.
- December 2019: Geauga County records show that 11708 Portlew was purchased for $28,000 from Julia Lindsay to Joshua Weidus.
- July 2020: Quigley announced the township had missed some deadlines in notifying the two Portlew property owners and would begin the legal process once again.
- August 2020: Quigley said certified letters would be sent out again to the property owners, with a possible hearing date to be scheduled for Sept. 2.
