Demolition order modified to rehab for 11523 West Eighth Street after property manager vows repairs

At the July 10 Muncie Unsafe Building Hearing Authority meeting, the panel modified a demolition order for the property at 11523 West Eighth Street to a rehabilitation order and continued the case to Aug. 14 after the property manager said the structure would be repaired.

Alicia Sonder, identifying herself as a property manager with Middletown Property Group, told the authority that she had arranged for a reinspection and expected the required repairs to be completed within two weeks: “We27ve had a reinspection yesterday so we can get clarification on the items that needed to be addressed. And so we27re gonna have those completed in the next 2 weeks.” When asked whether she intended to rehabilitate rather than demolish, Sonder said, “We27re going to fix it.”

After staff summarized the inspection noting holes throughout the garage structure and explained the options, an authority member moved to modify the demolition order to a rehab order and continue the matter to the August hearing. The motion carried and the manager was given a paper with the next hearing date (Aug. 14).

Why this matters: the modification changes the enforcement path from demolition to repair and gives the property manager a short timeline to complete work and demonstrate compliance to avoid demolition.

Next steps: the case is continued to Aug. 14; staff will re-inspect the property and report progress to the authority.