Sinclair Building targeted for ‘public nuisance’ designation

City seeks court action on crumbling building

STEUBENVILLE -- The city of Steubenville wants a judge to declare the 111-year-old Sinclair Building at Fourth and Market streets a "public nuisance."

The petition, filed Tuesday in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court, asks the court to force the owners to repair the building or demolish it if the cost of the repairs exceeds the value of the building and to reimburse the city for the cost of erecting safety fencing around the perimeter to protect pedestrians and motorists from falling debris.

The complaint also seeks to "pierce the corporate veil of the LLC" that owns the building, Zito Parakaleo LLC, which, if successful, would allow the city to hold individual members of the LLC personally liable, City Manager Mike Johnson said.

"I am well aware of the building's historical significance," Johnson said Wednesday. "In a perfect world, a buyer for (it) will be found, repairs will be made, and a mixture of retail tenants and market-based rentals will occupy the building. The city is actively looking for prospective buyers for the building. (Our) economic development consultant has had several conversations with prospective buyers.

"(But) what happens if a buyer cannot be found? The property sits in the heart of the downtown," he continued. "It cannot be allowed to gradually deteriorate and hinder economic development. There is more positive momentum in the redevelopment of the downtown area than at any other time that I can remember. (We) cannot idly sit by and merely hope for the best. That's why the city has filed the nuisance abatement action in Common Pleas Court."

The complaint referred to the property as "a menace to public health, welfare and safety," describing it as "structurally unsafe (and) unsanitary" and suggesting it constitutes "a hazard to the public welfare, general welfare and safety by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence and abandonment."

It also identified alleged violations code officials observed during a "partial" inspection of the building's exterior, including walls cracking and pieces falling off; rusting and holes in metal decorative features on top of the building; windows, sidewalks and driveways that aren't being maintained; a section missing from the canopy roof; and decorative features falling off, pointing out that in June, "pieces of concrete fell from the building and onto the street, some of which weighed over 10 pounds."

City code stipulates that "no person, firm or corporation shall maintain any structure within the city in such a state of disrepair as to be considered to be a nuisance or hazards to the health or safety of persons residing in the vicinity," the suit noted.

Johnson said that while demolishing the Sinclair building "is the option of last resort...it is an option nonetheless."

"I refuse to kick the problem down the road for the next city manager to attempt to solve," he said. "As the old saying goes, there is no time like the present to act and that is what the city is doing: Acting to address a problem and seek a solution. One of my goals as city manager is to try and make Steubenville a little bit better every day. By addressing the Sinclair Building issues now, I am attempting to achieve that goal and make Steubenville a little bit better for tomorrow."

The complaint has been assigned to Judge Michelle Miller.