The city is planning to condemn and demolish a vacant gas station along McClure Road at the owner’s expense.
The gas station, located at 1631 McClure Road, has been vacant for several years and has structural damage, including holes in the building’s roof line and damaged fencing, said Fred Barnett, Columbus code enforcement coordinator.
“The biggest issue there is the fact that nothing has been done with that building for years,” he said. “It has become a blight on the property, it’s unsafe and it falls under (section 36-7-9-4.5) of the Indiana Code.”
Under section 36-7-9-4.5, local governments can take “vigorous and disciplined action” to “ensure the proper maintenance and repair of vacant structures,” according to the Indiana Code. Local governments can enforce the code in many ways, including vacating, sealing off or demolishing an unsafe building.
Connections Unlimited LLC purchased the property for $40,000 in 2010, according to Bartholomew County property records. The company’s owner is Scott Brown, according to filings with the Indiana Secretary of State. Brown also operates Columbus Pawn on National Road.
”I really had no idea that (the city was) even doing that,” Brown said. “I’ve been trying to work with the city on redoing it. I had a meeting with (the City of Columbus–Bartholomew County Planning Department) last year, but they never got back with me.”
Brown said he had been talking with city officials about fixing up the property and putting in a retail establishment. However, he said he was unsure what kind of retail establishment he would establish on the property.
Jeff Bergman, planning director for the city of Columbus, said Brown has met several times with his staff over the past few years. In May, the last time Brown met with planning department staff, according to Bergman, the discussions were geared toward finding out how the city’s regulations would affect the property if Brown decided to tear down the building, renovate it or add on to it, Bergman said.
“Most of those discussions have been centered around hypothetical scenarios (on the property), and how the city’s regulations would affect the property,” Bergman said.
Brown has not requested any permits or approvals from the Columbus–Bartholomew County Planning Department for the McClure Road property, according to Bergman.
Barnett said he sent the owner a letter on Tuesday to notify him about the board’s decision. After the owner receives the letter, he has five days to appeal. If the owner does not appeal within that time frame, the owner will have until July 31 to demolish the building at his own expense, Barnett said.
If the owner appeals, he would have to come before the Columbus Board of Public Works to “explain why he doesn’t want to demolish it,” Barnett said. The owner would have to provide the board with specific plans for the property and a time frame.
“Then it would be up to the Board of Public Works to determine whether his appeal would go through or whether my order would stand,” Barnett said.
There was ample discussion about the property at the Columbus Board of Public Works meeting on Tuesday.
Alan Whitted, city attorney, said it “appears” that there is “probable cause to believe” that the gas station is an unsafe building.
Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development for the city of Columbus and member of the Columbus Board of Public Works, said the city has received many phone calls about the property in recent years.
“This doesn’t affect our decision, but that’s probably the property that we get the most phone calls about,” she said. “… Everybody’s just been watching it deteriorate.”
