By Dan Haugen
Northeast Beat Editor

The owner of a vacant nuisance property in the Holland neighborhood has 30 days to begin a major renovation project or else the city plans to demolish the house.

The two-story, single-family home at 822 26th Ave. NE has drawn complaints from neighbors, who say it’s being used for loitering, drug dealing and possibly prostitution.

The City Council’s Public Safety and Regulatory Services committee on Wednesday scolded the owner and issued the 30-day ultimatum, which needs approval from the full City Council at next week’s meeting.

“To have this vacant nuisance being there without something happening is just not acceptable,” said City Council Member Paul Ostrow (Ward 1), who proposed the Oct. 26 deadline.

Jim Ahlvers of Brooklyn Park bought the house in April 2005 for $154,500. It’s been vacant ever since and was condemned by the city in April 2007. Statements submitted to the city from neighbors said the house has a negative impact on the area and should be torn down.

After a series of hearings and inspections, Ahlvers and the city drafted a restoration plan that would give him another six months to fix the house. The agreement required that Ahlvers obtain a bond or credit letter to pay for fines and demolition if he didn’t finish the work.

Ahlvers told the regulatory committee Wednesday, however, that he’s been unable so far to get a bond or credit letter. He dodged a question from Ostrow about when he started trying to obtain the financial backing.

“This thing is becoming a financial burden as well as a physical burden because I’m having to make the mortgage payments every month. and I can’t do anything with it,” Ahlvers told the committee.

Ostrow questioned Ahlvers about his financial ability to complete the rehabilitation, and said neighbors have told his office that the house is a detractive nuisance. Ahlvers said he visits the property at least once a week and is doing everything he can to keep it from being a nuisance.

“It’s a nice house. It’ll be a positive piece of the environment there once I get it done,” Ahlvers said.

On a recent visit, city inspectors found the front porch was not secured, said Dan Niziolek, problem properties manager for the city. They also found “a bottle of liquid” in the porch that had been left there recently.

Kim Huls, who lives with her fiance next door to the vacant building, said they’ve seen plenty of activity on the property, including people dealing drugs behind the house. Another neighbor, Holly Siasoco, testified to the city that she’s seen people loitering on the front porch.

“I know people are going in there,” Huls said.

The address is among a handful of what she considers problem properties on the block, Huls said. Other rental properties have tenants, but they apparently aren’t screened very vigorously, she said. She was assaulted this summer by a visitor to one of the problem houses. Huls said she’d like to see the city looking into a stricter screening process for landlords like some suburbs have.

When asked by Council Member Diane Hofstede (Ward 3) to explain his inaction at the property, Ahlvers blamed “my stupidity, or my overeagerness.” He said he bought another house in Sauk Centre about the same time.

“Working between the two, this one got set aside,” Ahlvers said.

After completing work on the Sauk Centre house, he said he intended to focus on the 26th Avenue property. But his plans were set back in October 2005 when a fire that destroyed an adjacent house also spread and caused damage at his house.

If he can arrange the bond or credit letter before the city’s deadline, Ahlvers said he plans to spend $38,000 on improvements. Work by contractors would take about six to eight weeks to complete if the city approves the plan. Niziolek said the city would expected all work to be finished by spring at the latest.

“We will strive to make this as tight of a timeline as possible,” Niziolek said.

The Ahlvers property also led the committee to a brief conversation about the amount  of money the city spends patrolling and dealing with neglected properties. Council Member Gary Schiff (Ward 9) requested a staff report on the resources spent on properties like the one discussed.

The committee is being gracious to grant Ahlvers another month to sort his financing out, said Hofstede, who was clearly unsatisfied with his answers.

“I think that it’s really unfortunate that Mr. Ahlvers does not value our community and the neighborhood,” Hofstede said, “because I think it is a really excellent opportunity for him.”

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Filed under: City Hall, Crime, Holland, Housing, Public Safety