Neighborhood Nuisance: Abandoned house turned playground on Burton Ave

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - On Burton Avenue in Toledo, just north of Willys Park, sits an abandoned house that according to neighbors has become a playhouse for neighborhood kids.

Neighbors told 13abc they are concerned and want the place gone because the house is not safe.

Cheryl Wagner has lived nearby for three years, and the house has been a problem the entire time.

“There have been people going in and out, but it has not made any moves. It needs to be taken down. Because it makes our places look bad,” said Wagner.

According to Wagner, kids nearby break off the boards securing the property and go inside the home often.

“They’re going into the back area where it’s all gutted out from the fire, that’s a danger. And they’re starting to take the bricks down and bring them out to the front yard,” said Wagner.

The house’s owner is not only a Limited Liability Company, which makes it hard to track down a person to hold accountable, it is an LLC based in Canada.

The City of Toledo Code Compliance Department has issued multiple citations dating back to 2016 for everything from high grass to blight. The department is reaching out to the previous owner, who has a bench warrant for failing to bring the property up to code before selling the house to the LLC last year.

As for what happens next? The city’s hands are tied, and neighbors remain hopeful that the LLC. will either fix the place or sell it.

If you have a troubled property in your community that has become a neighborhood nuisance, send an email to willie.daniely@13abc.com. Include contact info, photos, and as many details as possible.

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