5 Jeannette property owners offer vacant lots to city

Jeannette council accepted the donations of two properties Thursday and are considering options for three more after a rush of property owners recently expressed interest in turning over their land to the city.

The donations of 308 and 310 Clay Ave., which is one parcel, and 113 N. Third St. were accepted.

Council members learned of the hopeful donors during a meeting Tuesday.

“Just in this meeting, we’ve had five parcels that want to be donated to the city, that’s kind of scary to me,” said Councilwoman Michelle Langdon.

She opposed accepting the North Third Street property on Thursday.

“I think we need a plan of action before taking donations,” Langdon said. “Maybe we need to create a committee or something to address that.”

Council members and city officials discussed a few options for the properties at the Tuesday workshop meeting, including demolishing the structures or the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority and Land Bank taking control. The city is responsible for maintaining any properties owned by the county land bank.

“We take these on as a city and how do we maintain that?” asked Councilwoman Robin Mozley.

Fire Chief Bill Frye was able to get inside the Clay Avenue properties mid-week and said demolition would likely be the best option because the buildings are in bad shape. A neighboring city parking lot could be expanded. The parcel is on the radar of the county redevelopment authority and demolition would be funded by the county, he said.

Frye attributed at least one of the donation inquiries to enforcement efforts. He said he recently has been putting real estate agents on notice who are involved with properties that have past code violations. Under the city’s property maintenance code, past violations have to be resolved or disclosed to the buyer, he said.

“It’s great because this is forcing redevelopment,” said Councilman Chad Krawtz.

The North Third Street property, for sale for $15,000, is covered with weeds, according to photos in the real estate listing. A marking on the front door indicates there are wall openings, Frye said, which could be a danger to firefighters.

In addition, the owner of 319, 321 and 325 Division St. inquired about the potential for donating the now-empty lots where homes were destroyed and damaged by fire in October, said code enforcement officer Bill Whetzel. The fires were deemed suspicious though no arrest has been made.

Those could potentially create a redevelopment opportunity at one of the city’s gateways, Krawtz said.

Having a plan for the potential property donations would avoid the city becoming a real estate agency, Frye said. The North Third Street home could be used for fire training before being torn down.

“There may be some value to the parcels going forward,” he said.