Wheeling Council: Vacant Building Code Can Be Reviewed, but it is Working
One Community Update
February 21, 2024
Source: The Intelligencer
City officials on Tuesday night agreed that Wheeling’s Vacant Building Code does a good job in keeping property owners from letting structures fall into disrepair, but council members noted that the code could be tweaked to be more flexible for those working to get their buildings occupied.
During Tuesday night’s meeting of Wheeling City Council, several members commented on a recent case in Center Wheeling in which a building owner had been fined $7,000 after hitting snags with a significant redevelopment of adjacent buildings on Chapline Street. That investor, Lambros Tsuhlares, ended up selling the buildings and giving up on his plan to open an art studio in Center Wheeling.
“It may be worth looking at our Vacant Building Program to look at any tweaks that may need to be made, but this program is incredibly valuable,” Councilman Ben Seidler said.
Seidler noted that in the past year or so, Wheeling City Council allocated $1 million to its demolition budget, resulting in the demolition of 75 dilapidated structures in the city.
“Losing 75 structures due to blight and dilapidation is horrible,” Seidler said. “That’s one of the reasons why our Vacant Building Program is so important. It’s not really that overarching.”
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