Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- At the gateway to the Shandon neighborhood, off Rosewood Drive between South Harden Street and S. Kilbourne Road, sits what neighbors consider an eyesore.
It's an old duplex that's sat vacant for over a year, and the new owner wants to tear it down.
The problem? The city says he can't.
So as a protest, the owner decided to do a little decorating.
"We decided if the City of Columbia loves it so much, they can love it with polka dots on it," said Allen Rutter, the builder who owns the home at 140/142 S. Walker Street.
News 19 got a look inside part of the duplex. We witnessed rotted floors, walls, you name it. Experts consider the building unlivable.
"It's the gateway to the Shandon Community. To have that as the first thing people see coming into our community really doesn't send a good message about what kind of community we are," said Boyce Blanks, who lives down the block.
Because of the condition of the property, Rutter wants to tear it down and replace it with a single family home.
Rutter figured it's best to rebuild the home instead of renovate it; Estimates on renovations, his attorney said in a hearing (video of hearing ) were estimated at $150,000.
"We felt like we were trying to do the right thing for the neighborhood," said Rutter, who's renovated a handful of homes in the neighborhood already. "Were just met with a lot of resistance out of the City of Columbia."
The problem is, in order to demolish the duplex, Rutter must get approval by the city's Design Development Review Commission (DDRC).
The house lies in what's called a "Community Character District". Several years ago, the community asked to have the commission review demolitions only in that area. The city granted that request.
In order for a building to be torn down, city officials consider the following eight criteria from city ordinance:
- Does the building have historical and architectural significance to the neighborhood?
- Can it be renovated instead of demolished?
- Is the building important to the ambiance of a district?
- Is the structure the last of its kind in the area?
- Are there set plans for the property should the building get demolished?
- Is the current state of the structure a danger to public safety?
- Can the building be relocated?
- Is the building under orders from the city to be demolished?
In two separate hearings, the majority of the DDRC voted that the criteria were not met in order to demolish the home because the "property has historic and architectural significance" to the neighborhood, as noted in the meeting minutes.
Jim Daniel and Bob Wynn were the only votes in favor of the demolition; no members of the public spoke out against the idea at the hearing.
Instead, staff claimed the duplex could be renovated and rented out for an estimated $850 per unit. One member of the city staff says she obtained that estimate by doing a quick Internet search of properties in the area.
"To some degree they're right. It could be rented, I would argue well below the potential of the neighborhood," said Rutter. "It has to be contributing in a positive way to the character of the neighborhood. Really, as the owner of it and as a resident of the neighborhood, I don't feel that it's contributing positively."
Supporters of the demolition argue that the staff's idea doesn't financially make sense.
"The city doesn't seem to take that into account when making their decision; What the neighborhood wants, what the community wants," said Blanks. "It was quite shocking to hear that the city felt that this had value and that it needed to stay. "
Per the commission's request, Rutter obtained an endorsement from the Shandon neighborhood council and collected signatures from neighbors who support the demolition.
Richland County Councilman Seth Rose lives in the neighborhood and spoke before the DDRC in a June hearing.
"Everybody is in support of having this [demolition] happen," said Rose. "Financially, if this doesn't happen, then perhaps it's not financially feasible to do anything with the property and it remains an eyesore until it finally does fall down...I toured the property with neighbors. There's fungus, there's rot, there's mold."
Rutter also provided foundation reports to the city from two separate engineers. Both concluded the duplex is "neither fit, nor safe for occupancy".
"It's shocking that it's this difficult in the City of Columbia to essentially tear down a slum," said Rutter.
In an e-mail to News 19, city officials said "While [the commission] is always attentive and respectful of the opinions of residents, the only criteria they are allowed to use in reviewing demolitions are those that are in the ordinance."
Rutter says he will appeal the commission's decision and is expecting to take the case before a judge this fall.