Condemned Depot Street Structure May Have Hope for Restoration

Mayor Amends Order Allowing Property Owner to Restore Condemned House

RUTLAND - A residential structure located at 18 Depot Street may soon undergo restoration instead of demolition, following a new order signed by Mayor Tyler M. Eblin. According to Codified Ordinance 176.15 of the Rutland Municipal Code, the Mayor may order the owner of a condemned structure to repair the structure, or recommend the Rutland Village Council authorize its demolition.

In March of this year, the Rutland Village Council passed a municipal ordinance authorizing the Mayor to apply for grant funding to cause the demolition of the structure located at 18 Depot Street. The ordinance came following an executive order issued by Mayor Eblin condemning the structure and recommending its removal.

After sitting vacant for more than a decade, the property owner has demonstrated an interest in having the structure restored. Trees and vegetation once growing through the structure can be seen removed and a follow-up inspection of the structure was recently completed.

Mayor Eblin explains after reconsidering the conditions of the structure, he believes the structure may be salvaged. In his recently signed order, Mayor Eblin writes in part, “[T]he condition of the said principal structure has been since reexamined and reconsidered and, upon consultation with the designee of the owner of said principal structure, it is determined by this Office that there is an interest in the restoration of said principal structure and that said principal structure may, with reasonable and comprehensive renovation, be remedied of the conditions found and evidenced upon the Inspection and Certification of Dangerous Dwelling or Structure Report, dated December 20, 2023, and incorporated herein by reference.”

The order continues by writing, “[T]he owner or owners of said principal structure, or their designee, is and are hereby ordered to repair the said principal structure to conditions which are safe and suitable for occupancy, eliminates any hazard to the persons of the general public, or any occupant which may occupy the same; and eliminates the defects indicated in the Inspection and Certification of Dwelling or Structure Report, dated December 20, 2023, incorporated herein by reference.”

Mayor Eblin will continue to declare the structure as condemned, but will grant the property owner 90 days from the date of the order, October 15, 2024, to begin the restoration work, which must be completed within six months from the date of the order, with reconsideration of the grace period determined upon the circumstances of the progress of the repairs.