After several months of contentious meetings of the Petal Board of Aldermen and residents of the City of Petal regarding a dilapidated property on Stevens Street, board members have voted to approve a permit to allow the owner of that building to rebuild the facility rather than demolish it.
The condition of the structure, which is owned by Bach Stabile – owner of Trusted Homes, LLC – has been addressed at several recent board meetings by Ward 1 Alderman Gerald Steele and his wife Jamie Steele, who live adjacent to the property. The Steeles have contended that the building – which was last occupied in or around 2017 by the Deep South Cycles business – is not up to code and presents a safety risk to the family, particularly in the instance of a possible fire.
“The property next to my house is a fire hazard,” Jamie told aldermen during a recent board meeting. “Aside from the necessary buffer zone of 20 feet (required by city code) that should be provided, the current fence that stands between my house and the structure at 106 Stevens Street is dilapidated and falling over.
“The property owner (of that building) should be made to provide adequate fencing as well as an adequate buffer zone upon building at this location, which is clearly outlined in our city’s ordinances.”
Stabile will now be given 30 days to obtain the permit, six months to start work on the building and 18 months to complete the work. A cost estimate for the work is expected to be determined soon, including replacing the roof – which collapsed in recent weeks – along with repairing the fallen-in walls and other interior measures.
“Obviously it’s a tough situation, and there’s a lot of grey area in matters of this nature,” Mayor Tony Ducker said. “We want to do something … that is fair to all parties involved and that is legal to our best understanding of this. Hopefully, (the owner) will act in accordance with the will of the board, and that would mean that they would need to clean the place up.
“I think the board has acted in the best interest of the city, when it’s all said and done.”
Stabile began work in January 2022 to repair the structure, at which time an initial building permit was issued by the city for $20,000. However, city officials then sent a letter to Stabile stating that the property is located in an AE flood zone as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, meaning the site presents a 1 percent annual chance of flooding and a 26 percent chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage.
Under that classification, if the value of improvements is more than 50 percent of the actual cash value of the property, the building on the property must be up to code. On February 2, 2022, a Stop Work Order was posted on the building, stating that Stabile was completing work outside the scope of the permit.
According to a document submitted by Jamie, Stabile turned in an appraisal for the property dated December 20, 2021, which stated the property’s current “as is” value was essentially its purchase price of $35,000.
“’Market value of the subject, as of December 3, 2021, is $155,000, subject to satisfactory completion of renovation,’” the document states. “The owner, after submitting a permit request for $50,000 that was denied due to (city) ordinance, tried to say that he would only need a permit for $16,500, but this request was denied due to labor and supplies not being itemized as required.”
Jamie said the 106 Stevens Street property is current zoned C-2 (commercial) and abuts her R-1 (residential) property, which houses her, Gerald and their three children. In July 2023 Jamie sent a formal complaint to the mayor, the city’s building department manager, and the board of aldermen regarding the building, which she said is not being built to code according to city standards.
Another appraisal was submitted by Stabile dated August 4, 2023, which stated the estimated value of the property at $80,000 in its as-is condition, which was considered to be 47 percent complete. At that point, the building department submitted a letter stating that the appraisal was not sufficient and that an appraisal prior to February 2, 2022 – when the Stop Work Order was submitted – be turned in, along with an itemized list of work/supply estimates.
During a January 16 public meeting, the Petal Board of Aldermen condemned the building via a unanimous vote. The main part of the structure collapsed in mid-February, at which point that incident was reported to the Petal Fire Department.
In a letter dated February 13, city officials sent a letter to Trusted Homes stating that the building was an “imminent danger to the residents surrounding it,” and required Stablie to obtain a demolition permit.
Seth Hunter, Stablie’s lawyer, provided another appraisal dated February 29 stating the estimated market value of the property as of January 7, 2022, was $85,000.
“It is clear that his board based its most recent decision to allow a building permit on a fraudulent appraisal,” Jamie said. “The appraiser states that the property went up in value by $50,000 in just a matter of weeks while absolutely no work was done.
“Work started on January 6, 2022. (The board) allowed – and I believe encouraged – the property owner … to continuously manipulate the numbers so an unsafe building could be rebuilt. The initial appraisal turned in, which stated the cash value was $35,000, compared to the building request permit request of $50,000, equated substantial improvement – the end. Why is it so difficult to enforce city ordinances?”
