A 111-year-old house on Nun Street will be demolished if its disrepair isn’t remedied.
It’s dilapidated, boarded up, and “unfit for human habitation,” according to a profile of 719 Nun St. from the city’s code enforcement office.
“Due to health and safety issues associated with the property’s structural, electrical, and mechanical systems, and overall failure of the owner to bring the property into compliance, a condemnation order to repair or demolish is recommended,” said a city staff memo to Wilmington City Council, which on June 17 gave the order to proceed.
The structure’s current tax value is $38,000; the estimated rehabilitation costs are more than twice that.
The city didn’t immediately have a demolition estimate.
City code enforcers say they’ve maintained contact with the 1,200-square-foot property’s absentee, old-age owner, who has administered numerous fixes to it over the years, though abatement has apparently stopped.
At present, there are $2,900 in citations on the property. Chief Code Enforcement Officer Williane Carr said it’s also become a site for illegal dumping.
Carr said it’s been unoccupied since 2006.
It’s the fourth ailing house the city council has marked for demolition in recent weeks. On May 20, it approved orders for 215 S. 12th St., 715 S. Eighth St. and 610 Church St., each of which fell far out of care after their respective owners died and heirs didn’t come around to assume upkeep.
Council members including Laura Padgett called them neighborhood sore spots.
“I know we’re probably short staffed in code enforcement, but these are a real blight on the community, and it is an economic development issue,” she said.
The city’s demolition of a vacant property doesn’t mean it takes ownership but, per the lack of interest from the responsible parties, council members have discussed adjusting policy so the city can move more quickly to find new caretakers and restore neglected sites to life.
A work session is expected in the near future on that topic.
Related story: City may get aggressive on dilapidated houses
Ben Brown is a news reporter at Port City Daily. Reach him at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter:@benbrownmedia
