Jeannette city council rejects appeals to stop property demolition
Three Jeannette properties are once again slated for demolition after city council last week rejected appeals to halt removal of the blight.
Council members unanimously denied the appeals of: Charles Schade for 313 S. Fifth St., Sherran N. Herring for 420 Division St. and Lyle Milner for 12 S. 12th St.
Appeal hearings were held March 1 during which the property owners pleaded their cases before council, acting as a board of appeals. The owners contested January decisions that their vacant homes were deemed public nuisances and slated for demolition through Westmoreland County’s American Rescue Plan funding. Seven communities are identifying such properties to be cleared out through $10.4 million.
A structural engineer determined that it is not economically feasible to repair the homes on South Fifth or Division streets. Both have structural issues, a history of code violations and can attract squatters, children and arsonists.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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