Kinston council to consider $300,000 citywide demolition and cleanup fund
Kinston City Council will consider establishing a $300,000 capital project Tuesday to address condemned structures and other code violation properties inside the city.
The proposed Citywide Demolition and Cleanup Capital Project would run as a companion effort to the joint Corridor Aesthetic Improvement and Demolition Program approved by the city and Lenoir County.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, in City Hall Council Chambers, 207 E. King St.
The proposed citywide project would focus on “dilapidated and unsafe structures and unsightly areas deemed to be code violations,” according to agenda materials. The project would target properties inside city limits that are outside the areas identified in the joint city-county corridor cleanup project.
The citywide project would be funded by a $300,000 transfer from the General Fund. The agenda packet says the project is expected to take about two years, though final funding needs will depend on individual cost estimates for properties selected for demolition or cleanup.
Under the proposed process, code enforcement would identify targeted properties, determine whether each property requires demolition or cleanup, collect photos, develop cost estimates and create a priority list. The city would take the lead on the project, with assistance from the Lenoir County Inspections Department on inspections and condemnation determinations.
The city’s Planning Department and code enforcement officer would coordinate demolitions and administration.
The separate joint corridor project is estimated at $400,000, with the city and county each contributing $200,000. Lenoir County would take the lead on that project, and Kinston would pay its share before the end of the current fiscal year.
That joint project targets blighted properties along primary thoroughfares and corridors, including highways 11, 55, 58, 70 and 258.
The citywide project is intended to address properties outside those corridors, including a backlog of previously condemned structures and other code violation properties.
Agenda materials include a list of proposed locations for the city demolition and cleanup project. The list includes properties on Mitchell Street, West Lenoir Avenue, Rhem Street, Mulberry Street, North Independence Street, Tower Hill Road, East Gordon Street, East Caswell Street, Fields Street, Queen Street, Washington Avenue and other locations.
The packet also outlines the condemnation process. According to a timeline included in the materials, the process generally begins with a notice of condemnation posted on the structure and mailed to the last known owner. A search for owners and heirs may take about a month or longer. If the case advances, property owners or heirs receive notice of a hearing. After an order is issued, state law requires a minimum 60-day period for the property to be brought into compliance or demolished before the local government may act.
Council also will consider an operating budget amendment tied to the demolition work. That amendment includes $200,000 for the city’s share of the joint corridor demolition program and $300,000 for the citywide demolition and cleanup project.
