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powsandwich t1_jdwxjcm wrote

idk how somebody leaving Kowloon's after 8 Mai Tai's hasn't yeeted right into this thing yet

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lurker_registered OP t1_jdwdbgp wrote

It seems everyone in town agrees the Karla’s Shoes building needs to go — except the people who actually own the building.

The decrepit, run-down red building sits on the southbound of Route 1 just ahead of the Main Street Wakefield exit, overgrown with weeds and covered in graffiti. It’s already been marked as a do not enter by the fire department, and local officials have repeatedly said they believe the building is a safety risk. Yet, despite its condition, the building’s owners are committed to trying to sell it, according to Director of Public Health John Fralick.

According to assessing records, Isabelle Smith has owned the building since January 1985. The building is now valued at $518,400 — with most of the value, $391,600, attributed to the land it sits on.

At the urging of Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta, Fralick provided an update on the status of the property at a Board of Health meeting Monday night. Essentially, he said, the town’s hands are tied.

“What we’re dealing with right now is just kind of a delusions of grandeur type situation where they think they’re going to be able to get so much money by selling the property,” Fralick said.

Panetta stressed that she believes the building is a safety hazard, noting the possibility of a piece of the building breaking off and falling onto the bustling highway below. The building is also an eyesore and does not have a place in Saugus, she said.

“It’s hugely problematic,” Panetta said.

Fralick said the town is considering options like commercial receivership, and has tried to convince the building’s owners that the property would likely be worth more as a patch of land on the side of the highway than as a decrepit building. But, he said, that suggestion has fallen on deaf ears.

He agreed with Panetta’s concerns, adding that the building is “definitely an imminent hazard” to pedestrians and to potential squatters who might try to enter it.

With the town having a bylaw outlawing graffiti, Fralick said Saugus is likely to use the building’s graffiti as a way to force some action on the property.

“At the very least they’re going to have to get down there and do some sort of work,” he said. “It’s kind of like a well, once you’re already down there why don’t you tear this down?”

“We are taking as much action as we can in the short term,” Fralick added.

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oneMadRssn t1_jdxdnsh wrote

Reminds me of 243 Purchase St in Boston. Absolutely prime real estate. My understanding is the owners have an over-inflated view of what it's worth, and are just sitting on it waiting to for a sucker to buy it.

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hce692 t1_je07596 wrote

aaah I’ve always wondered about that. It’s got almost no foot traffic and literally looks down into a highway off ramp. Not exactly an easy sell at a high price

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oneMadRssn t1_je0cu99 wrote

The bigger problem is that it's very narrow. Tall buildings need multiple sets of stairs and elevators and all. After accounting for all that, you end up with barely any usable floor square footage. And there is no market for a small 4-story building there. They're stuck.

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NoMoLerking t1_jdwqddz wrote

Yeah man, a buyer will come along any minute now. It didn’t sell during the 90s boom. Didn’t sell during the early/mid 2000s bubble. Didn’t sell during the recent real estate insanity. But now is your time to shine.

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LeafyFurball815 t1_jdxk6vv wrote

I’ve been hearing about all these ways they’re going to force action on the building for years, as long as the property taxes are being paid that buildings gonna sit there, makes me laugh

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randomlurker82 t1_jdxst1p wrote

I remember a comment here once that it's a spite building. I think there was bad blood between the owner of Karla's and the auto dealership there.

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Michelanvalo t1_jdy9ezv wrote

That doesn't make much sense. The Dealership was built in 2013 and Karla's has been abandoned for longer than that.

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randomlurker82 t1_jdya14v wrote

I just remembered hearing that a while back, I can't say I know more. I can't see why they wouldn't sell it but I'm not them. It'll be interesting to see if the town can force them in the end.

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LeafyFurball815 t1_je79y3g wrote

It was probably from me if you heard it on here haha, the building itself isn’t kept up out of spite (but there was def a beef at one point there) there just has been no real interest in selling it just because it’s not worth a whole lot.

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randomlurker82 t1_je7g2pw wrote

Yes I remember you now! I couldn't remember your username. Lol I'm really interested in this story for some reason 😂

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Spiritual-Rub-7113 t1_jdxup5t wrote

regardless of the taxes being current, the town could seize the property under eminent domain and would only be required to compensate the owner with fair market value.

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Johnathan-Utah t1_jdy9hj4 wrote

I don’t think it’s that simple. The city has to have a public use purpose to expropriate. If the city backs into that purpose, it’s going to get messy in court and there’s a good chance the city loses.

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