City of St. Albans begins serving search warrants to condemned structures

ST. ALBANS, WV (WOWK) — The City of St. Albans is working to resolve its problem with abandoned and dilapidated structures by modeling after Charleston.

City officials can have search warrants served to the owners of properties that are considered to be dilapidated. After that is done, a process begins that, if completed, leads to the demolition of the property.

The owners can choose to sell the property at auction and allow the new owners to decide what they want to do with the property.

In the case of one neighbor 13 News spoke with, he said he bought the property because it was an eye sore and is now working with the city to have it demolished.

Another neighbor believes that the demolition of houses like this can benefit the neighborhood in more ways than one. She cited that beyond the property being an eye sore, it also depreciates the value of the rest of the neighborhood.

One neighbor said the property in question plays home to the unhoused, which causes the neighbors to constantly be calling the police to have them removed.

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