Village planning board declines endorsement of property code

GRANVILLE – The Granville Planning Commission unanimously chose not to endorse a proposed Property Maintenance Code under consideration by Village Council.

At their meeting on Aug. 24, the five voting members of the board voted against a proposal to endorse the the concept, said commission chair Steve Hawk.

The proposed code is the subject of a public hearing at Wednesday’s Village Council meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Ofices, 141 E. Broadway.

Action on the proposal may or may not be taken following the hearing.

Hawk said he believes the proposed code is simply unnecessary. Commission member Bill Wilken said many neighborhoods are already protected in the same way a maintenance code would do so through covenants.

Meanwhile, member Doug Eklof said he is concerned the code could force someone out of their home if they can’t afford or choose not to maintain their property to the levels their neighbors do.

“Granville is Granville, as we well know,” Hawk said. “People do take very good care of their properties. There are a very few exceptions.”

“The commission felt that the legislation as proposed was problematic on multiple counts,” Wilken said. “One, much of the village doesn’t really have a problem because it’s covered by protective convenents (mostly in new sections). Second, the problem to the extent that it exists at all is it’s on the rental and the business side.”

“The market tends to generate control of our properties because if you ever want to sell, you have to keep them up to standard,” Hawk said.

“And there’s this thing called property rights,” Hawk added.

“Basically,” Wilken said, “the sense is this is something that is not needed at this time.”

“I don’t think the village should have the ability to force someone from their home,” Eklof said. “If there’s a health issue, that’s a different story. And I think there’s rules already on the books for the village to take action if a property owner is causing a health issue for the community.”

“People own property. It’s private property,” Eklof said. “If they don’t want to maintain it to the degree their neighbors maintain their own homes, I don’t think it’s a problem the village should get into by regulation.”

“Eventually the house will turn over and somebody will come in and fix it up. It happens all the time in Granville,” he said.

The purpose of the proposed code is “to establish minimum standards necessary to make all structures safe, sanitary, free from fire and health hazard, fit for human habitation and beneficial to the public welfare...,” its text reads.

The code establishes minimum standards to abate “blighting, nuisance or deteriorating influence on the surrounding neighborhood” and “to protect property values,” according to code language.