COLUMBUS, Ind. — The city of Columbus is proposing to demolish a fire-damaged residence and replace it with affordable housing.
The Columbus Board of Works approved a request March 30 from city code enforcement to accept a quit claim deed for property at 1320 Pearl St.
The two-story residence there was damaged in a fire in February. Both apartment units’ tenants were out at the time, and no injuries were reported. However, damages were extensive for both the ground floor and second floor apartments, rendering the home uninhabitable.
Code Enforcement Officer Fred Barnett said that the owner was unsure about what he wanted to do with the property, so Barnett suggested signing a quitclaim deed to the city.
The quit claim deed makes the city of Columbus responsible for tearing down the now-unsafe residence, he said. It would also allow the city to build new, affordable housing in the area, similar to what was done at 1510 Pearl St.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
