The authority dealt with the property on the 1300 block of 21st Avenue for a year, persuading a bank to forgive a mortgage; seeking a builder to renovate the house with the city as developer; then seeking a builder to function as the developer; then seeking bids to demolish the house; then rescinding a demolition contract; then, in September 2024, offering a $35,000 renovation subsidy — which led to an offer to do the project only for a much larger subsidy, an offer rejected and replaced with a request for proposals inviting respondents to suggest a subsidy amount themselves.

That move finally resulted in a contract with a partnership headed by longtime builder Joe Crossman, along with his son-in-law Jared Schreck, that included a $40,000 subsidy due to the severe deterioration of the house.

“It was a total gut,” Crossman said, standing in the kitchen of the newly renovated home. “(But) it had good bones.”

Workers took out all the plaster and lath, replacing it with drywall; stripped the floors to the subfloor and installed laminate vinyl planking; replaced the windows with custom-made windows; replaced the HVAC equipment with new ductwork and a heat pump; replaced all the electrical wiring and plumbing; replaced the wooden porch and roof using stamped concrete for the new porch floor; stripped and replaced much of the sheathing on the old main roof that had been covered with slate, constructing a new roof covered with asphalt shingles; removed the chimney; and replaced the sidewalks.

The renovated property on the 1300 block of 21st Avenue is seen on Thursday. Mirror photo by William Kibler

“(Crossman) did a first-class job,” said authority board member Ron Beatty, who was the primary advocate for the house through all the vicissitudes. “(He) did it right.”

Neighbors to whom Beatty spoke were pleased that the house was saved, rather than replaced with a modular, as was proposed for a time, Beatty said.

In addition to the subsidy, authority contributions to the project that were designed to make it attractive for the private sector to undertake included clearing of liens and — eventually — clearing of the title, although Crossman paused the work when he learned partway through the renovation that the title hadn’t been cleared.

That sort of title vulnerability could invite unwanted interest among potential claimants, after the ongoing work begins to create value where there had been none, according to one of the people in attendance at the open house.

The authority plans to ensure that titles are cleared up front in the future, said authority member Allen Thompson.

Given that governments are routinely accused of creating red tape, it’s ironic that the authority’s role in the blight-to-renovation program is to clear red tape, said authority Chairman Richard Fiore.

The program has refocused the city’s longstanding approach to the blight that is common in certain neighborhoods.

Previously, any house that the Department of Codes and Inspections delivered to the Planning Commission for a declaration of blight was headed for demolition.

“Now we’re looking at every potential house that comes our way” to determine whether “a little bump” would make it worth saving, Fiore said.

The goal is to create needed additional housing for the city, improve the neighborhoods where the blight existed and to bolster the tax base, Fiore and Beatty have said.

Seeing improvements being made at those formerly blighted properties tends to inspire neighbors to make their own improvements, officials said.

That seems to have been true for the 21st Avenue property, given that at least one neighbor has replaced their roof during the time work was ongoing, Schreck said.

The crew working on the 21st Avenue property have been the recipients of many compliments, Schreck said.

One person said, “What you’ve done for the neighborhood is amazing.”

Two other homes are currently being remodeled as part of the program: one on the 1300 block of 18th Avenue and one on the 300 block of Wopsononock Avenue.

The recent rejuvenation of the long-dormant Blighted Property Review Committee has made it possible to enter properties into the program via eminent domain under the Redevelopment Authority — an approach that can be taken if owners can’t be found or if they’re uncooperative.