A Nesmith Street property owned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been declared blighted.

The City of Warren’s Blighted Property Review Committee approved the designation during a recent meeting.

County assessment records show that the property sold to a mortgage company for less than $2,000 in June. It was then transferred to the “Secretary of Veterans Affairs” – with a Nashville, Tenn. address – for $1.

City of Warren Zoning & Ordinance Enforcement Official Scott Taylor said that the property has been on the city’s radar since May 2021 when water service was discontinued. It was condemned the following December.

“We have attempted to deal with a property maintenance company that was caring for the property while the house was potentially being foreclosed on or sold between mortgage companies,” Taylor said.

He told the committee that he provided names of contractors that could potentially address the property and said two walked away while a third only provided a quote for demolition.

Taylor said portions of the bathroom sill plate and rim joist are rotted away while the basement is “half-filled with water.” He said there is so much water entering the structure from the roof – which was once covered with a tarp – that the ceilings are falling down.

Committee member Denise Whipp said that movement on foreclosed properties and properties where the VA is involved can take forever.

The committee responded by approving the first of two blight declarations against the property.

A second blight declaration was issued against the property located at 820 Carbon Place.

The committee has been delaying action on this property for “quite some time,” Taylor said, giving the owner time to make progress.

The owner previously told the committee that access to the property has been a challenge.

“He’s investing some money into it,” Whipp said. “The excuses he has for it… he knew there were issues when he bought the property. He knows what the ordinance says to bring it out of blight and it’s not moving forward like it should.”

BPRC Chairman Ray Pring said the owner has had the property for two years and added that “(I) don’t have any faith it’s going to move forward quickly, if at all.”

“It seems like the access issue is something he keeps bringing up that he wants us to solve,” Committee member Doug Hearn said. “It’s very frustrating to see it come up again.”