Next month marks the fourth anniversary of a fire that destroyed parts of the historic Old St. George Church in Clifton Heights. But the structure remains vacant and building inspectors this week cited the owners for conditions at the site.
The city’s Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Division posted a citation Wednesday on the fence in front of the church. It was issued by Housing Inspector James Hatton, and states the building’s owner failed to comply with an order issued by the Buildings and Inspections Department on Aug. 31, 2010.—-
For those keeping track, that order was issued almost 18 months ago. The violation is a Class D offense, which is punishable by a $500 fine. The owner must pay the fine or respond in writing within seven days, or the fine will double.
The church, which was built in 1873, is owned by the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. (CHCURC). The group plans on creating a boutique hotel at the site, but little progress has been made during the past few years.
Old St. George was damaged in a fire on Feb. 1, 2008. The blaze caused about $2 million in damages. Since then, CHCURC has been trying to secure funding from various sources to redevelop the building.
