North Aurora gets deed to troubled townhouse

North Aurora is a step closer to completing the cleanup of an extreme nuisance.

The village board on Monday agreed to accept a quitclaim deed for a townhouse at 207B Linn Court. The village plans to sell the townhouse to recoup the $34,480 it has spent dealing with the problem.

Village code enforcement officers declared the unit uninhabitable in July 2010. Neighbors had complained about foul odors emanating from the townhouse, as well as rodents and insects coming from it.

The village spent $34,480.91 on legal fees and for contractors to remove the contents, rip out mold-infested drywall and carpeting, trap a cat and exterminate rodents and insects. The windows had been covered in black plastic, and debris was piled ceiling-high in some of the rooms, according to Scott Buening, the village’s community development director.

The two-story, three-bedroom townhouse is one of four side-by-side units in a brick apartment building built 50 years ago in the North Towne complex. It converted to condominium ownership in the 1980s.

A married couple owned the unit, but only the husband was living there in July 2010. The wife is living in Park Forest, according to Kane County court records. Village officials persuaded the man to move into a nursing home.

After clearing it out the village recorded a lien on the unit, then decided last fall to foreclose on the lien with the intent of taking possession and selling the home.

The owners voluntarily agreed to deed the property over to the village, Village Administrator Wes Kornowske said.

“This seemed to be the inevitable outcome,” Trustee Vince Mancini said.

The village will hire a real estate broker. Until the unit sells, the village will pay utilities and association fees, as well as $2,670.26 in back property taxes.

Kornowske and Buening warned the village board the sale may not cover the cleanup costs.

Buening said that as of six months ago, units in that complex were selling for $63,000, but that prices have since “plummeted” to the mid-$30,000s.

If the property doesn’t sell quickly, the village may fix up the unit to make it more attractive to buyers or in order to rent it, Kornowske said. That cost is estimated at $40,000.

“Let’s hope we never have to do it again,” Village President Dale Berman said.