 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.
[to top of second column]
 |
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] |
