The owner of a vacant home on Heather Glen Drive in Maumee is upsetting the harmony of neighbors in the subdivision on Garden Road.
That’s because the owner Bruce Denman has not lived at nor cared for the structure for more than two decades.
Mr. Denman, owner of the home at 2339 Heather Glen Drive, Maumee, in Springfield Township, recently had the home reevaluated, according to neighbor Judith Bashforth, who noted the Lucas County auditor lowered the value from $221,500 to $70,500. She believes it was lowered because Mr. Denman has let the house fall into disrepair.
According to the Lucas County auditor’s AREIS online website, the change in valuation occurred January 18 when the land was listed at $39,300 and the home at $31,200.
Last year, as part of the triennial update, the auditor’s office listed the total value at $221,500, with the home being $182,200.
Ms. Bashforth and her neighbors have sought help from the township, which did take some corrective action, but learned there was little more they could do.
Jacob Barnes, township planning director, said with help from the maintenance department he took the “most extreme measure” last fall, declaring the property a nuisance and clearing debris, trimming trees and securing the structure. To pay for the work, the township placed a lien on the property.
“There is no current zoning violation on the property,” he said, adding, “It is vacant, but nobody wants it sitting like that.”
According to Mr. Barnes, Mr. Denman, who is the president of Maumee Machine Tool and Die, has failed to respond to any requests by the township to repair and maintain his property. “He totally avoids us.”
Issues like this, “fortunately are rare,” said the planning director. But he believes Mr. Denman’s lack of action is “uncalled for, and the neighbors and township are fed up with it.”
Neighbors like Ms. Bashforth are concerned about the effect the home’s condition will have on their own property values.
According to the auditor’s website, other properties on Heather Glen have been valued between $150,000 and $275,000.
Mr. Barnes acknowledged that as long as Mr. Denman takes care of snow removal, keeps up with the lawn and tax payments, there is little the township can do. “We will continue to monitor the situation,” he added.
