The Historic Vacant Buildings Task Force continues to meet regularly regarding the issue of registered vacant buildings in the Historic Hill District. The City of St. Paul ranks registered vacant buildings in one of three categories:
1) Vacant, but needs only a Truth in Sale and payment of fees to re-occupy.
2) Vacant, needs to obtain a code compliance report and be brought up to code before occupancy. May be sold with a plan to complete work within a reasonable timeframe.
3) Vacant, needs substantial work to be brought up to code. May not be sold until certificate of occupancy is issued.
Summit Avenue currently has only one registered vacant building, but the threat is greater in other historic districts. Neighboring Ramsey Hill currently has twelve registered vacant buildings. Of these, four are Category 3 and are at the greatest threat.
The committee’s initial work was on stabilizing the two most threatened buildings — 451 Selby and 466 Iglehart.
Of these, 451 Selby has been granted 180 days (from October 17) to complete the required work. The owner has turned in a work plan and proven financial capacity, and is working with a reputable contractor. The committee is cautiously optimistic on the property.
466 Iglehart is another case. The owner has been granted 45 days (from November 7) to complete the work on the property, and is non-responsive. Further action will likely be needed to save this historic duplex. The committee has met with Councilmember Carter’s office twice, as well as other city officials, to try to determine next steps, but time is running out.
As well as addressing these properties, the task force has turned its attention to how best to save the other vacant historic homes in the district, and how to prevent this from happening in the future.
Members of the task force include: Gregory Donofrio, Kit Richardson, Michelle Hotzler, Greg Hotzler, Charlie Niemeyer, Mike Faricy, and Gwen Schwebel. All have extensive experience in preservation and related community issues.
