WILDWOOD — A home on Youngs Avenue has caused nothing but problems since its owner left it to sit abandoned for years, according to neighbors who have to live nearby.

Rob Baita, a resident of Youngs Avenue, told Commissioners on Feb. 10 that the house on the 200 block of Youngs Avenue said the house has been “nothing but trouble.” “We’re trying to bring our neighborhood back up,” said Baita. “Our taxes are being paid and it’s bringing down the value of our homes.

“They have been supposed to start working on it, and this has been going on for the last three or four years,” he said.

Instead, Baita said, the windows are boarded up and the only sign of life in the building are pigeons that roost on the third floor. He described it as an eyesore.

“I’m just hoping there is something that can be pushed on to get this building torn down,” he said. “It brings down the whole street.”

Mayor Ernie Troiano said city inspectors are well aware of the property. The mayor said that after numerous violations the property either has to be brought to code or the city has to tear it down.

Troiano said that “going after” the property was part of the city’s new rowdy house policy, which was an ordinance passed in the fall.

Under the ordinance, inspectors can identify nuisance properties based on the number of calls from police or code inspectors they require and then place those homes on probationary status. Further complaint calls would lead to a hearing in which properties could be forced to close down.

However, Troiano said the city had been lenient with the owner, a veteran who was dealing with health issues. The owner’s name was not mentioned during the meeting.

“His family asked for an extension on getting the property up to code and we gave it to them considering this man’s situation,” Troiano said.

Baita asked the commissioners how long neighbors would have to wait until something was done about the property. According to Baita, a sign was posted on the door of the property stating it would be razed within six months. Those six months, he said, have long passed.

Troiano agreed that “it’s been too long.”

He said the family of the owner no longer knows his whereabouts and the city has notified him that his property is slated to be torn down.

“They sent us a letter saying ‘please hold off.’ I told them no more,” Troiano said. “At this point I don’t know where the guy is, and I don’t care. It’s a blight in the neighborhood, people have to look at it, we don’t want it there any longer the way that it sits.”

Fire Captain Chris D’Amico, whose dealt with a number of the city’s rowdy houses, told Baita that the city is budgeting for demolition. Once it’s completed, a lien will be placed on the property.

“I’d like to push to have it done before summer,” said D’Amico. “I would like to have it done by May.”

“I think it’s safe to say that that building will be down by May,” Troiano said.

Lauren Suit can be e-mailed at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can comment on this story online at shorenewstoday.com.