2 AM Bulldozing Leaves Red Bank Neighbor In Mess

  • Wednesday, August 2, 2017
  • Gail Perry

Land that was once a one-and-a-third acre heavily wooded, gently sloping lot at 252 Hedgewood Drive in Red Bank is now muddy, flat and devoid of trees. Along one edge, there is also a deep, 200-foot cut into the one-time slope that is along the property lines of several neighbors, leaving their lots vulnerable to collapsing and erosion.

 

One night in March 2017, Kevin Rentzell, who lived in a house that the city had condemned on the previously wooded lot, begin bulldozing the property at 2 a.m.

and the destruction continued until Mr. Rentzell died unexpectedly, leaving the neighbors wondering what to do. None of the bordering property owners know the reason the property was being altered, and now they are wondering how to get it cleaned up.

 

David Ross, owner of a rental house at 104 Lynda Dr. that is adjacent to 252 Hedgewood, came to the Red Bank Commission meeting Tuesday night to ask the city for help, suggesting that the city could require a buyer of the property to clean it up. Not only is the deep cut threatening the stability of his lot, but in moving the dirt around, Mr. Rentzell crossed the property line and cleared all the trees from a large portion of Mr. Ross’s yard, he said.

 

By the time that Mr. Ross was notified by his tenant about the bulldozing of dirt and trees, most of the damage had been done. When he notified the city, he was told that Red Bank could not help because it was on private property, and he was advised to hire a private attorney.

 

Mr. Ross’s research discovered that the lot had been owned by Mr. Rentzell’s parents before they died, after which Kevin Rentzell took over. In April, he filed for bankruptcy. Now the condemned house and cleared land has been foreclosed on and the bank will have an as-is sale on the courthouse steps after 90 days.

 

While sympathetic, City Attorney Arnold Stulce on Tuesday night repeated that it was a private matter and not a city obligation. The city of Red Bank does not have authority to step in other than to plant grass to help erosion, he told Mr. Ross. As the owner of the property the bank has certain responsibilities, he said, and it might provide help. The bank may also have to disclose the issues to any potential buyer of the property, which would probably prevent a sale at fair market value. “You’ve really got a mess,” said Attorney Stulce.

 

A new neighborhood of 16 single family homes on Lullwater Road will be built in Red Bank since a zoning change was approved on second and final reading Tuesday night. Zoning has been changed from R1 residential to RT-Z residential townhomes/zero lot line for the two- and three-story homes that will range in size from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet. The project had previously been approved by the planning commission.

 

A vote of approval to rezone property at 1700 Ashmore Ave. and 0 Mason St. took place on first reading at the July 18 commission meeting. In the absence of the owner, the second reading of the zoning change was tabled until the Aug. 15 meeting. If the change from R-1 residential to RT-1 is given final approval, 28-30 residential townhomes will be built.

 

The 2017 property reevaluations in Hamilton County determined that values increased in Red Bank. By state law, if property values go up, the county must lower the tax rate to keep property taxes revenue neutral. The certified rate that Hamilton County gave the city was lowered from $1.35 per $100 of assessed value to $1.18. The commissioners adopted a new general revenue ordinance for 2017-2018 and voted to lower the city’s rate to match the certified rate.

 

 

 

 

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