Former salvage yard in South Lorain set for demolition

LORAIN — A longstanding eyesore in South Lorain is set for demolition. The former Hills Department Store building, 3725 Grove Ave./2261 Homewood Drive, was placed on the city's demolition list at a Demo Board of Appeals meeting Thursday morning. The owner of the property, George Kafantaris, told board members he would look at getting bids and a timeline for the work to be completed. Photos of the property taken by building inspector Greg Leandry earlier this month show junk cars and trucks outside the property, and the building filled with standing water and debris reportedly left by the previous owner, Joseph Burda. That debris includes scrap metal piled on shelving and left in trash cans, and a live extension cord running through the standing water. The bathroom facilities are inadequate, with one of the toilets smashed in and two sinks missing. Fifty-five gallon drums were strewn throughout the property, but no longer contain hazardous material, Fire Marshal Greg Neal clarified during Thursday's meeting. While in Burda's possession, the space was a point of contention. Charges were brought against him for illegally operating an indoor salvage yard there. Burda's business was the latest in a line of industrial businesses operated on the property since it was rezoned in 1987. It was sold to Kafantaris and his father, Elias, in 2018 for $199,000, and the pair said they gave Burda time to clear out the space, which he never did. Kanfantaris owns GNM LLC and owes $19,697 in back taxes on the site. Building, Housing and Planning Director Max Upton said the property has been cited about half a dozen times in the past two years for code violations. He said after multiple meetings with Kafantaris and being originally told the property would be cleaned up by April 15, but the day has come and gone with debris still littering the area, Upton said. Since purchasing the property, Kafantaris told the board he has sunk upward of $50,000 in cleaning up the items Burda left behind. He said he filled an entire trailer with just tires cleaned out of the building. The cost to repair it, including installing a proper fire sprinkler system, is an estimated $200,000 to $215,000, Kafantaris said. Repairing the roof will cost another $65,000, he said. The city tried to work with Kafantaris to purchase other land on Baumhart Road instead of the Grove Avenue/Homewood Drive site, but the building was in worse condition, Kafantaris said. Another offered property was too long of a commute. The space was going to be used for the family's company, which does coatings for Ohio Department of Transportation vehicles. Now, Kafantaris said he would be willing to sell it to the city, or demolish it. In light of the violations found throughout the space, the city's Demolitions Board of Appeals opted to see the property torn down. "I give George a lot of credit for cleaning the property ... but our problem here is beyond that our problem here is what do we do with this site that has been a detriment has been just an eyesore," Councilman Rey Carrion, D-6th Ward said. The building sits at the main entrance into South Lorain, and the city as a whole, when traveling on state Route 57. He estimated 12,000 to 15,000 cars travel the route daily, and the sprawling lot at the corner of Homewood Drive is not the welcome sign the city needs. "It is by far the biggest issue that impacts the community," Carrion said. "... We talked about hazardous possibly hazardous materials, you have oils you have chemicals (on) that property. When you look at the boundary and you look at the the property lines you're talking in some areas you're within 20 to 25 feet of the ditch that actually enters into the Black River. That's a huge concern for us." The board unanimously approved placing the site on the city's demolition list. Kafantaris said he'd been open to demolishing the property, and had already received a quote from B&B Wrecking for the work: a minimum $48,000 to take the property down to its foundations. To take out the slab is another $106,000. Kafantaris will appear at next month's Demolition Board of Appeals to confirm the bids he's received and a timeline to get the property demolished. Board members also added three homes to the demo list: 516 W. 26th St., 207 W. 31st St. and 2947 Denver Ave. More than $22,000 is owed on the three properties combined. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.