City Completes 2024 Property Maintenance Sweeps

July 16, 2024. Each year, the City of Troy Development Department completes a property maintenance inspection "sweep" of one or more neighborhoods. The purpose is to ensure that properties are being kept to minimum standards and protect the values of the properties in the area. Staff inspects exterior building conditions such as flaking paint, boarded or broken windows, disconnected gutters, cracked and crumbling driveways, and detached flashing.

Staff recently completed inspections in three neighborhood areas: East End, Treasure Island, and the Downtown Central District. The inspections resulted in 42 properties receiving notices of violations. To date, 36 of the properties' owners are in the process of complying.

City of Troy Development Director Tim Davis stated: "We target certain areas typically after we have made significant infrastructure, utility or quality of life improvements to the area using outside grants or our taxpayer funds. We've had great participation by the property owners who see the benefit of improving their property values, while adding to the curb appeal of their neighborhood."

In the Downtown Central District, 7 properties were identified for needed repairs. One property was cited into Municipal Court, two were sent official Violation Letters, two will be monitored for on-going activities, and two have been sent 'Pre-violation Letters,' or PVLs. PVLs are non-threatening notifications that identify specific problem areas and ask the property owner to reach out to the City staff within 30 days to establish a time table for corrections. If a property owner ignores a PVL, a more formal Violation Letter would be filed, outlining any potential consequences from non-compliance.

Davis continued: "Our Downtown Central District is a key asset of the City and, with buildings that are among the oldest in Troy, maintaining them to the code requirements is often more challenging. Several of the downtown properties we cited have been in the process of making repairs but it's important to document their progress so they can either become or continue to be occupied and productive."

For properties that qualify, the City of Troy offers several low-interest loan or forgivable grant programs to offset repair costs. Information regarding those programs is available at https://www.troyohio.gov/723/Community-Development or by calling the Development Department at (937) 339-9601.