Code enforcement and building activity for 3rd quarter

[October 19, 2011]  The following is a copy of the report given to the Lincoln City Council on Monday night regarding building and safety office activities over the last three months.

The report was written by John Lebegue, building and safety officer, with copies provided to the media.

(Copy of file received)

BUILDING AND SAFETY DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT JULY 1, 2011 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

While building and development activities were relatively slow from July 1, 2011 to September 30,2011, the following notable activities and events occurred during that time period:

Construction of new parts warehouse by Coy's Auto at 140 Taylor Ct.

A building permit was obtained for the construction of a new parts warehouse at the previously vacant property at 140 Taylor Ct.. The new parts warehouse represents a significant investment in the property and will improve the dealer's ability to provide parts and service to city residents and businesses.

Shoe Sensation store at 1212A Woodlawn Rd.

A building permit was obtained by R.L.P. Development for the replacement of the storefront at 1212A Woodlawn Rd., the former site of the Salvation Army Thrift Store, in preparation of the opening of a Shoe Sensation store in the Heritage Plaza. The Shoe Sensation use will be a welcome addition to the Heritage Plaza and the new storefront will greatly enhance the appearance of the plaza.

Re-use of the former Long John Silvers at 1301 Woodlawn Rd.

The exterior of the former Long John Silvers restaurant at 1301 Woodlawn Rd. is being painted and repaired in preparation for the use of the building by Liberty Tax.

Demolition of residential homes at 1203 6th Street and at 1317 6th Street

Three vacant, dilapidated homes located at 1203 6th Street and 1317 6th Street were demolished under the direction of owner Richard Moody. The three dilapidated homes were the subject of condemnation notices due to the unsafe condition of the homes and the Building and Safety Department work collaboratively with Mr. Moody in having the homes demolished and the properties restored to a safe condition. The Building and Safety Department has received numerous phone calls, expressing thanks for the demolition and removal of the homes, but the majority of the credit should be given to Mr. Moody for taking progressive corrective action.

Demolition of homes at 703 N. Kickapoo and 711 N. Kickapoo

Demolition permits have been obtained by Scott Mack, owner, to demolish the vacant, dilapidated homes at 703 N. Kickapoo Street and 711 N. Kickapoo Street. The properties at 703 N. Kickapoo St. and 711 N. Kickapoo St. were rezoned from R-2; Residential to C-2; Commercial in 2007 and the demolition of the homes is to better prepare the property for a commercial redevelopment in the future. The homes at 703 N. Kickapoo St. and 711 N. Kickapoo St. are unsafe and have constituted a blighting influence on a very visible intersection of the City and the removal of the structures will improve the visual landscape of the area.

Issuance of a building permit for conversion of former church at 1415 4th Street to a group home

Plans were submitted and following review by the Building and Fire Departments, a building permit was issued to Community Service Foundation for the renovation of the former church at 1415 4th Street to a group home. This property was recently the subject of a request for the vacation of a city property, which was approved by the City Council, making this redevelopment feasible. The proposed group home use is a good adaptive reuse of the former church building and will provide a valuable service to the City.

Completion of construction for Royal Buffet/Hibachi Grill Restaurant at 616 Woodlawn Road

Construction on the new Royal Buffet/Hibachi Grill restaurant is coming to an end and a final building inspection of the new restaurant has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Upon passing all required inspections, the restaurant will be ready to open for business. The owner of the restaurant has made significant improvements to the property and it is hoped that the new restaurant will be a success.

Construction of three new single homes

Building permits have been obtained for the construction of three new, single-family homes at 1419 N. McLean, 1200 N. Sherman and 19 Westminster. The home at 1419 N. McLean was recently completed by Habitat for Humanity. The new home being constructed at 1200 N. Sherman is being constructed by the Lincolnland Technical Education Center and is their latest project house. The new home at 19 Westminster is being constructed by Roger McCall and is being constructed on one of the remaining lots in that subdivision. Given the dismal state of the economy, it is somewhat reassuring that new homes are still being constructed in the City in these difficult times.

BUILDING ACTIVITY REPORT

	Number Of Permits	Construction Value	Fees Received
July 2010	56	$691,803.00	$1,903.20
July 2011	38	$567,393.00	$4,435.86
August 2010	51	$287,788.00	$1,298.57
August 2011	45	$602,630.00	$4,599.63
September 2010	52	$406,959.91	$1,601.36
September 2011	28	$219,789.00	$2,474.61

Upon review of the compiled building activity data from July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011 from the years 2010 and 2011, the following can be determined:

1.) The total number of building permits issued from July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011 (111 building permits) is down 30% from the same period of time in 2010 (159 building permits). This continued decline in the total number of building permits issued can largely be attributed to the unstable economy, as homeowners continue to put off or entirely eliminate improvements to their property.

2.) Total construction value from July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011 is up .24% from the same period of time in 2010, or $1,386,551 in 2010 and $1,389,812 in 2011. This slight increase in the total construction value is a result of the construction of three, new single-family homes, a new commercial warehouse building and a large, one-time cell tower project, which all generated significant permit revenue.

3.) While the total number of building permits issued has experienced a significant decline, overall building permit revenue from July 1,2011 to September 30,2011 is up by 58% from the same period of time in 2010 or $11,510.10 in 2011 and $4,803.13 in 2010. The increase in building permit fee revenue can largely be attributed to the building permit fees generated by the construction of three new single family homes, a new commercial warehouse building, a large, one-time cell tower project and other large commercial remodeling projects. The increase in building permit revenue can also be attributed to the adjustments that were made to the building permit fee structure and the broadening of scope of work that requires a building permit.

CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT

	2011	2010
July:	106	167
August:	152	127
September:	98	102
Total:	356	396

As the Code Enforcement Activity Report reveals, the Building and Safety Department has continued to aggressively identify and address properties in violation of City Code requirements. The number of ordinance violation sent out from July thru September 2011 has decreased by 10 % from the same period of time in 2010. The decrease in the number of ordinance violation letters can be attributed to the following factors: 1.) Fewer properties were found in violation of City ordinance requirements; 2.) The absence of the part-time code enforcement inspector for three weeks due to his participation in required military training; and 3.) The dry weather experienced in July and August reduced the number of letters generated for grass and weed nuisances.

RECENT COURT ACTIVITIES

August 4, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $48,750.00 was awarded the City against James Dellinger of 512 N. Monroe for the creation of a public nuisance, failing to remove trash and debris from the property, unsafe buildings, and the unlawful operation of a junking/salvage business in a residential district. The property at 512 N. Monroe has been chronically in violation of City ordinance requirements and the large court judgment is a result of the owner's repeated failure to maintain the property in compliance with City requirements.

September 1, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $9,825.00 was awarded the City against Deloris Rogers of 1114 4th Street for the creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove trash and debris from the property. Numerous ordinance violation letters were directed to Ms. Rogers and more than ample time was given to clear the property of waste and debris, yet no corrective action was taken for an extended number of days, which resulted in the large court judgment.

September 8, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $35,250.00 was awarded the City against Darlene Veff of 1921 Tremont for the creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove trash and debris from the property and failure to maintain the property free of weeds and grass in excess of 12 inches in height. No corrective action was taken after receiving notice from the City, which resulted in the large court judgment.

September 12, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $29,850 was awarded the City against Fonda Robbins of203 Harrison for failure to remove inoperable vehicles from the property and unlawful off-street parking. The large court judgment was a result of the large number of days the inoperable vehicles were stored on the property and the number of days vehicles were improperly parked on the property.

[Text copied from file received from John Lebegue, city of Lincoln building and safety officer]