VILLAGE OF NORTH SYRACUSE – For the second time, the village of North Syracuse has initiated demolition proceedings for a dilapidated home on Grove Street.
The home, at 118 Grove St., has no roof and has gone from being an eyesore to a safety issue, Mayor Gary Butterfield said at the village board of trustees meeting on Jan. 26. A building permit that was issued for repairs on the property expired at the end of 2022.
Grove Street is a quiet street of mostly tidy homes that runs between Church Street and South Bay Road.
The only recorded deed for the property is to Leonard and Virginia Ellithorpe, who have been deceased for many years.
The Ellithorpes are still listed as the property owners by the Onondaga County Department of Taxation.
Two years ago, the village board initiated demolition proceedings, but the village held off on following through because the Ellithorpes’ grandson, David Ellithorpe, had promised to bring the property up to code. That hasn’t happened.
“He had come here in front of the board and I think out of the goodness of our hearts, we gave him the go ahead [to repair the property], said Trustee LouAnn St. Germain. “It started off OK, and then nothing again.”
“I think what we need to do is start the process again, and there’s no turning back this time,” Butterfield said.