Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Planning and Development Services Department

TO:	Dave Corliss, City Manager
THRU:	Scott McCullough, Director, Planning and Development Services Dept.
FROM:	Julie Wyatt, Code Enforcement Officer
Date:	September 8, 2008
RE:	617 W. 4^th Street, unsafe structure

The referenced property has been inspected and found to be in violation of City Code, specifically the 2007 International Property Maintenance Code. The property is unsafe with one vacant structure (house) that is in a severely deteriorated state and posing a nuisance and unsafe condition for adjacent properties and residents.  

The owner of record is:        Norman Denton

Attn: Jeanette Denton

                                      PO Box 3856 

Lawrence, KS 66046-0856

The owner of record, Norman Denton, is deceased. Staff has been in contact with the two (2) living siblings, Jeanette Denton (Lawrence) and Norma Jantz (Topeka) for many years regarding the ongoing deterioration of the structure.  The attached chronology summarizes staff’s efforts to resolve this. The property is still in Norman Denton’s name. 

At this time staff is requesting that a public hearing date be set for November 11, 2008. The purpose of the hearing will be to discuss the status of the property and structure and to consider adopting an order to remove or repair the structure within a specified time.  Failure of the owner to comply would result in the City taking action to remove the unsafe structure.

Attached are a chronology of contact our staff has had with this property, an inspection report and pictures of the subject structure.  Please let me know if you have questions concerning this.  Thank you.