Property Owner Presents Rehab Plans for Blighted Knox House

The owner of a dilapidated house in downtown Knox has six months to make extensive repairs to the property. The vacant structure at 6 North Pearl Street was previously slated for demolition after the Knox Board of Works upheld an order last June to tear it down.

After doing so, members learned it had been purchased a tax sale by an out-of-state resident who was attempting to obtain a deed for the property. They agreed to her request to delay enforcement until that process was finished and gave her until March of 2017 to come up with plans to rehabilitate the structure.

Owner Lucia Valladares presented architectural plans to the board Wednesday morning. She’s in the process of cleaning up the property now in anticipation of starting work in the next month or so to bring the structure up to current code standards and address foundation issues.

Valladares will have final plans for the board at their April meeting. Member Steve Dodge wants detailed information about how the foundation issues will be addressed. Mayor Dennis Estok advised her to have the necessary contractors lined up to get the work done within six months.