Covington will demolish three blighted properties in the city, following a vote from the board of commissioners Tuesday night.
All of the properties are either abandoned or in states of disrepair. As a result, the structures are not only unsightly, but also a drain on city resources as Covington Public Works is responsible for maintaining the properties in the absence of their owners.
Information on the three properties is below.
1414 Wheeler Street
This property has been abandoned for ten years, according to city documents, and has served as a site for abandoned vehicles. The floor is rotten, and the structure is infested with hornets. “Rehabilitation costs would exceed the value of the property,” according to the city’s Neighborhood Services department. The most recent valuation of the house by the Kenton County PVA was $85,000. The current owners are listed as Maurice and Jeff Comer, who bought the property in 2001, according to county records.
1133 Garrard Street
This property has had nine owners since 2006, many of whom are so-called institutional buyers. These are companies that buy up houses with the hopes of reselling them for a profit. The current owner is an LLC called Forty-Nine Properties and Acquisitions, which is based out of a house in Cincinnati, which is, in turn, owned by another company called A5 Real Estate Holdings Corporation. Documents from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office list Abraham Kuranga and Andrea Eubank as the company’s incorporator and agent, respectively.
“At one point the city had to demolish the 2-story front porch as it was in danger of collapsing onto the street,” according to city documents. “Currently, the front retaining wall is apparently ready to fail.” Assistant Neighborhood Services Director Walt Mace also attested to the presence of squatters in the past.
2211 Madison Avenue
Brandon Bonaccolto bought the house in 2016, according to county property records, but he abandoned it shortly thereafter, according to the city. There are holes in the roof, and the garage door is collapsing. The house “is an extreme blight on the neighborhood, especially since it sits in the gateway to the Madison Ave. business district,” according to the Neighborhood Services Department. “Repairing the structure would be prohibitive as the owner has taken no actions to maintain it since the purchase.”
