"Urban Merchant Center" to get city scrutiny, clean-up

The "Urban Merchant Center" over on W. Chapel Hill St. -- a one-time Holiday Inn that has deteriorated under current owner Ronnie "We Want Oprah" Sturdivant to a shaky structure with some form of thrift store-style retail inside -- may at last be getting city attention towards compelling a property clean-up, according to this morning's Herald-Sun.

Or, perhaps, make that "again" getting attention, since as the Herald-Sun points out, the eyesore has been an issue in mayoral races and Council debates for a decade, and since City staff have ordered clean-ups in the past, only to see the property allegedly devolve back into disrepair.

City staff will focus on the old vehicles, weeds, and junk littering the property:

Inspectors visited the property after City Councilman Eugene Brown prodded administrators to have a look at it. The violation notice will go out Monday, said Gray Dawson, Neighborhood Improvement Services' chief inspector....

The violation notice will give Sturdivant seven days to deal with the vehicles and 10 days to clean up the rest. If he doesn't, the city will have the work done itself and charge him for it, Dawson said.

If Sturdivant doesn't agree to allow city-hired workers on his property, the department can get access to it by taking out an administrative search warrant, Dawson said.

As Ray Gronberg's article notes, the City currently has limited ability to compel improvements to commercial buildings themselves, as such inspection powers are limited to residential structures.

A first step towards changing that lies with the City Council's consideration of expanding Neighborhood Improvement Services' inspection powers to include commercial buildings, a subject up for consideration at Monday night's City Council meeting.

Comments

[Myers Sugg]

Would a swift and controlled fire be a legal method to bring the property into compliance? If so, I would choose that approach. There are several beacons of high visibility blight in Durham, and this one is in the top 10, IMHO.

Myers

[crc32]

In some regions, the fire departments use such procedures as training - after the building is stripped down of everything valuable (copper, etc), they start a fire in it, and practice putting it out. I imagine it gives them a more realistic setting than the usual training center. Probably would be the most valuable use for that building now.

[Dan S.]

The former Darryl's at the SW corner of Garret & 15-501 was used by the DFD for burn-down training. It's now an empty lot, overgrown with weeds and discarded christmas trees. Somehow, I think that's worse than the current eyesore on Chapel Hill St.

[Michael Bacon]

I wish the city would eminent domain that thing and put in an overpass for Garrett Rd. Man, I hate that light.

[Allen]

Yes, I wait a good ten minutes for that light to turn. Turning onto Garrett Rd. is a pain. Especially if that person in the front isn't paying attention while you're in the back.

[Steve]

It's worth noting that the business Eugene Brown owns, Distinctive Properties, is just across the road from the rear of the UMC and thus he has more that just the public's interest in mind here. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it would seem that someone might have mentioned this at some point.

[Myers Sugg]

Steve you are right, Eugene's business is right there; however this awful awful eyesore negatively impacts all of us. I see no conflict here. Frankly I would applaud Eugene if he is able to use his influence and vote to make something improve here, as well as for any other similar situations throughout Durm.

Myers

[Steve]

Sure, Myers -- but when Eugene takes the time to point out that this eyesore is "right across from the police station," as he did in the H-S article, he could also issue a disclaimer about his property and that he's not just some noble crusader. I don't know of any other similar eyesores he's been crusading about for years, but perhaps they exist.

[Norbert]

And why hasn't/can't the city aggressively declare eminent domain on all Sturdivant properties? I'd go for Bill Fields' nearby prop, too...but I guess he makes enough rumblings and slight cosmetic fixes (mowing weeds, stripping metals from his run-downs), that it appears something's happening.

Why didn't the city ED that HH and build a new cop shop there (instead of rehabbing a hopeless retrofit of an insurance agency)?

It sucks that Ronnie Sturdivant's Nubian Art Gallery/Hard Money Cash Loans/Empowerment Center/Thrift Shop is the last look at (lasting impression of) Durham upon exiting to the Freeway.

I'll take the empty Darryl's lot style of rehab (if we can keep the trash and brush down) over that barbed wire, junked car, rats' nest any day!

What gives?!

[moncler jacket]

He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind our backs.