YOUNGSTOWN - In 2022 alone, six property owners filed injunctions against the city of Youngstown for attempting to tear down their structure.

One Canfield resident plans on suing the city, after a South Avenue building was demolished in April.

Jennipher Carter said she was part of a team working to turn the former restaurant into a bar and lounge.

Carter said there was equipment worth thousands of dollars inside, and claims they lost nearly $100,000 dollars in renovations when they found it torn down.

"The day before is when our contractor was out," she said, "For it all to be gone, it was devastating."

Carter said she believed the work they had completed brought the building up to code, while records from the Youngstown Law Department show the city posted a red tag on the structure days before the demolition and two code enforcement violations were sent to the owners years and months prior, citing the foundation was collapsed on "right side of building."

In the emergency demolition order, Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley reported it was "an immediate emergency situation and creates an imminent threat" and again, cited the foundation was collapsing. 

This is just one of nearly 200 structures currently on the city's emergency demolition list, and the city is not required to notify the property owner. The demolition department said to make the list, the structure is a danger to the public, structurally unsound and usually the roof is caving in.

"Removing the hazard, yes it's contentious," Blight Remediation Code Enforcement Superintendent Mike Durkin said, "We do get sometimes into some legal issues because people feel that their judgment is different, and people do see things differently, and I understand that, but we have to air on the side safety."

Not only do demolitions cost the city anywhere from around $20,000 to $150,000 per structure, but Youngstown Law Director Jeff Limbian said the court costs associated are a major expense of taxpayer dollars.

"You could be talking a quarter of a million dollars very easily," Limbian said, per year. 

To try and mitigate this, First Ward Councilman Julius Oliver wants to find a more responsible way to conduct emergency demolitions that he believes would save both the city and property owners money.

Unless it is an immediate danger, Oliver said the law should require the city to meet with owners at the property to asses before tearing it down.

"In some cases, it's disrespectful to the property owner and in other cases, it's costing the city so much more money in lawsuits and demolition," he said, "and at the end of the day, you look back on it, like was this absolutely necessary? We could have avoided all of this."

However, it's not that simple if owners live out of town. Limbian said that's a common occurrence with blighted homes.

The city said they typically notify owners at least 30 days in advance if they're planning on conducting an emergency demolition, but if there is not an updated contact registered, communication can slip through the cracks.

"We're always happy to listen to all our council members if they want to change an ordinance," Limbian said, "We'll provide whatever legislation they want us to give for them to consider, but the statutes and ordinances are pretty clear and pretty succinct, and they've been working so far, but we are always looking to improve."

Oliver said he plans to get new legislation introduced within the next year.