Liberty man continues to fight blight
LIBERTY — A Logan Arms Drive resident made yet another appearance at the trustees meeting to discuss an abandoned commercial property that he previously suggested presents a desolate view of the community.
Only this time, he came with some plans and proposals.
Township resident Steve Stoyak made another presentation to trustees during the public comment portion about the Tibbetts Wick Road gas station that has been abandoned for more than 30 years, saying that residents deserved a place that was well-kept and safe.
Stoyak noted that the township has seen a marked increase in blighted properties and abandoned cars over the years, too.
“This is in spite of our best efforts to beautify Liberty Township through the Churchill Park Stream Restoration, restoration of Center Park, litter collection, road paving and repairs, beautification of Belmont Avenue and others,” Stoyak said. “We need to do more to address the condition of local properties, more than just citations in the spring for long grass.”
Stoyak said it was “incumbent” upon trustees to “design and drive the legislative infrastructure” on enforcement of property maintenance codes, especially in a home-rule township like Liberty.
Stoyak deemed the gas station property to be a “glaring example” of the need for it to be done, listing five items from the township’s property maintenance code that could target the gas station.
He suggested that trustees enforce the code currently in place, asking them for their reasons for failing to do so and, if possible, “institute and enforce” a code that would be.
Stoyak said that for the code to be enforced, the township could institute a registry that would identify rented or leased commercial properties in the township and their owners, recalling his trouble in finding Alpesh Patel, whose name was listed as the gas station’s owner.
“An absentee landlord occupancy permit must be instituted for all such properties,” Stoyak added. “Occupation of these properties must be predicated with the filing of that permit with the code enforcement office.”
Additionally, he brought a resolution for the Tibbetts Wick Road property’s remediation that he invited trustees to approve at the meeting.
The language in the resolution deemed the property an “attractive nuisance,” despite Law Director Cherry Poteet, who had gone to the gas station before June’s meeting, noting that the property had nothing structurally wrong with it and failed to see how it met the requirements for demolition.
Trustee Arnie Clebone thanked Stoyak for bringing it to their attention, adding that he was always someone who advocated for a stronger “maintenance government.”
“Blight does invite crime and I think the police can testify to that; it’s almost an invitation, especially when people are coming off the freeway,” Clebone said. “I think it’s important for the community, I think it’s important for a number of reasons. It’s also important for property values.”
Clebone said blight, such as the gas station property, affects anyone coming off the freeway, whether they’re an out-of-town person looking for an investment or a homebuyer.
“When they see that kind of blight, it makes them think twice about whether they want to move into our community or invest in our community,” Clebone said.
Trustee Devon Stanley asked if Clebone wanted to check with their legal counsel to confirm whether it was an attractive nuisance or not.
Clebone said the resolution was more the township saying they were going to do something, not acting immediately.
“It’s a starting point so we could do something about this gas station that has been there for 30 years,” Clebone said.
Stoyak said if he has 100 residents asking trustees to do something about the blight in their neighborhood, they should do something about it.
Stanley said he was aware of the sentiments behind Stoyak’s words, saying there was an agreement among trustees. He added that the only time attention gets drawn to the gas station is when there’s campaign signs surrounding it.
“Nobody likes blight; one man’s blight is another man’s whatever — that’s not the case. With this particular property you brought to our attention, I drive by it probably 10 times a day,” Stanley said. “I go to work that way, I see my family that way. I also noticed some traffic is backed up there. That is a terrible way to come in and out during high traffic.”
Stanley said the property didn’t meet the legal definition of an attractive nuisance, and it didn’t necessarily come under strict scrutiny, adding that painting wasn’t required of the building’s state.
Stoyak recalled former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams’s talk of “broken window syndrome” in neighborhoods.
“You have a nice neighborhood. Somebody lets a window get broken, it doesn’t get fixed,” Stoyak said. “What happens under year one, year two, or year three — it’s exactly what’s going to happen to so many neighborhoods.”