Redevelopment authority named conservator of abandoned Cranberry Township home
The county redevelopment authority was appointed conservator of an abandoned, dilapidated house in Cranberry Township at a hearing Thursday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
The house at 407 Mary St. has been abandoned for an unknown number of years and the owner, Richard Panizza, is believed to be deceased, county officials said.
Authority solicitor Andrew Menchyk said the authority’s next steps are to advertise for demolition bids, request court approval to demolish the house and then demolish it.
The authority will explore options for disposition of the property after the demolition, he said. Possibilities include acquisition by the county land bank, redevelopment and/or selling it, he said.
Senior Judge Robert Yeatts granted the authority’s petition to be named conservator after Rock Houk, who works in the authority’s blighted property program, testified about the condition of the property and its impact on surrounding properties.
The house is not fit for human habitation, no maintenance has been done in the last 12 months, and the house needs substantial rehabilitation or should be demolished, Houk said.
Twenty-nine photos of the house and property were submitted as evidence.
The structure is dilapidated, overgrown with vegetation and there are holes in the roof of the home, Houk said.
There is mold in the house and trash and debris in the yard, doors are falling off, the house is not secure and a shed on the property is also dilapidated, he said.
“The whole property is really overgrown,” Houk said.
The house has a negative impact on neighboring properties, has been vandalized and is an attractive nuisance to children, he said.
Menchyk said $25,000 in unpaid taxes are due on the property and there is a lien against it for unpaid natural gas bills.
He said the authority believes the owner is deceased, even though an obituary has not been found, and the owner does not have an estate.
Yeatts scheduled a hearing for June 2 for the authority to present the demolition bids.
The petition filed by the authority says the county tax claim bureau has a $25,180 lien against the property for unpaid taxes.
The Wilmington Savings Fund Society of Kansas City, Mo., holds a $43,000 mortgage on the property, but is not the subject of a foreclosure.
Equitable Gas Company and Peoples Natural Gas Company have combined liens of nearly $13,000 dating to 2011 against the property, according to the petition.
Panizza acquired the property in October 1995, according to the petition.
