City Commission approves CDBG funding for purchase, demolition of nuisance property
City Commissioners approved $50,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to NeighborWorks Great Falls for the purchase and demolition of 816 3rd Ave. S.
City Commissioners declared the property a nuisance in January.
NWGF has been in contact with the property owner and offered to purchase it for about $20,000 upon approval of the CDBG funds and use the remaining $30,000 for demolition of the existing structure.
The property owner has tentatively agreed to the deal and the CDBG funds won’t be spent until NWGF has purchased the property and the paperwork completed, according to Sylvia Tarman, the city’s CDBG manager.
City Commission declares nuisance property
Purchase and demolition is expected to be done within six months of approval of the CDBG funding, according to city staff, and within a year of demolition, NWGF is planning to build a new home on the lot for low- to moderate-income homebuyers.
The funding for purchase and demolition of the nuisance property qualifies for CDBG funding as blight removal in the city’s annual action plan.
The city is using CDBG funds from the 2024-2025 program year and otherwise would have to use its own funding to complete abatement of the property.
In January, city staff told commissioners that there had been 300 calls for service to the property since 1997.
The city has attempted to work with the property owner over the years and the property was already abated once, Brock Cherry, city planning director, told commissioners in January.
Based on the saga of the 3rd Avenue South property, Cherry said the city may need to have a conversation about its code enforcement strategy and the funds needed for enforcement, which can include abatement.
Staff also discussed the need for further discussion of its code enforcement policies during their April 20 budget review meeting with commissioners.
City officials executed a warrant on Oct. 7 to assess and secure the property, during which the city building official deemed the home uninhabitable and ordered it vacated.
As of Dec. 26, the following violations remained, according to the city:
- residential structure is severely dilapidated and in an unsafe condition due to deferred maintenance and no active utilities
- junk, trash, salvage materials, discarded household items, etc., visible throughout the front/side/rear yards, including, but not limited to, bicycle parts, bags, trash, blankets/tarps, appliance(s), furniture, wood, etc.
- temporary shelter(s) in the backyard of the residence
- white SUV illegally parked in the backyard of the property
Declaring the property a nuisance as defined in city code allows the city to pursue abatement, including demolition.
“The total cost of the abatement, to include removal of vehicles, temporary shelters, trash, salvage materials and razing the residential structure, is unknown at this time. Funds from the Hazard Removal Fund will be used to carry out abatement if necessary,” according to the city staff report.
City declares vacant property nuisance [2024]
For the current year’s budget, the Hazard Removal Fund has $6,567.
The city declared one nuisance property in 2025 and according to the budget, spent $13,072 from the Hazard Removal Fund.
City staff hand-delivered two violation letters in October to Jason Leif Gilstrap, the property owner, according to the city.
Upcoming informational events: ARPA, crime, nuisance properties [2022]
Further notification was issued in December and posted on the property.
Property taxes have not been paid since July 2023 and are delinquent, according to publicly available county tax records.
