Judge will review previous decision about crumbling Jefferson City wall
A Cole County circuit judge heard arguments Monday in an effort to appeal a decision condemning a downtown Jefferson City building.
Judge Patricia Joyce granted the building owners’ request for judicial review over the hearings held last month.
The owners have argued in court filings that the city acted prematurely in condemning the building and that requiring its demolition or repair is beyond the city’s legal authority. Jefferson City Police Department Chief Roger Schroeder ruled last month that the owners had 60 days to repair or demolish the building’s problem areas or the city would demolish the structure.
The owners of 202 E. High St. and their lawyers have 20 days to file a legal brief outlining their argument against condemnation. Then the city has 20 days from that date to file to submit its arguments, and then the owners have 10 days to submit one last rebuttal. The judge will take it all under judical review on June 3, unless the legal briefs have been filed ahead of schedule.
If the judge rules that the hearing was fair, the owners of the building must either fix or demolish their property within 60 days.
The structure has been falling apart since a wall collapsed in June. The neighboring building, 200 E. High, shares a wall with it.
No one has been allowed in either building for several months as the city has deemed it dangerous. City officials have said it is only a matter of time before another major collapse occurs.
