Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette The College Avenue building gutted by a fire in March is seen Friday. The Houghton City Council voted Wednesday to allow the city to tear the building down after 30 days if the owner does not provide a plan to repair or demolish the building.

HOUGHTON — The city can tear down a College Avenue building damaged in a fire earlier this year after 30 days, the Houghton City Council voted Wednesday.

The council held an enforcement hearing regarding the building at 915 College Avenue, which was gutted by a fire in March.

“It’s not only an eyesore, it’s a dangerous building,” Houghton City Manager Eric Waara told the council.

The owner had been given two options in September. One was to provide a repair plan, approved permits to do the repair work and proof of an agreement with a license contractor. The other was to provide a plan to demolish the building, complete permits for the work and show proof of an agreement with a licensed contractor to demolish the building and dispose of the debris.

Neither had been completed, hearing officer Greg Kingstrom wrote to the city.

If the building owner does not comply with the order within 30 days, Waara and the Department of Public Works are authorized to demolish the building and clean up the site. The owner will be billed for any cost over $13,117. If the owner does not pay the city back that amount, a lien will be placed on the property and the tax bill. The property owner can still appeal the ruling.

In other action, the council:

– Approved a resolution opposing Senate Bill 446 and House Bill 4722, which would stop municipalities from banning short-term rental properties, such as Airbnbs. The House bill passed earlier this month.

City Manager Eric Waara said there were other legislative options that would not take away local control. He said the city had worked for three decades on how to manage rentals in a college town in a way that’s fair to owners, tenants and other residents.

“We’ve got to do everything within our power to make sure that this hopefully never gets to the governor’s desk, because there’s time to write good legislation, and what’s there now is just plain bad,” he said.

– Heard from Waara the city’s increased population in the 2020 census would result in about $48,000 more in funding for the major and local street funds.

– Heard from Waara that Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Jepsen is writing a letter to the owner for the Michigan Department of Transportation permit for the Fire Station sign on Sharon Avenue in an effort to address the issue.

– Heard from Police Chief John Donnelly the department held a Zoom meeting with MDOT to discuss the safety of M-26. The issue had been prompted by a series of accidents, including a fatal accident at the intersection with Houghton Canal Road last year.

A long-term fix being looked at could resemble the safety improvements being seen on College Avenue. In the short term, the city is discussing barring left turns onto M-26 from Park Avenue near Econo Foods.

– Designated $345,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for matching funds for an infrastructure grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). The $1.035 million grant will fund the replacement of water and sewer mains on Prospect Street and Baraga Avenue.

– Approved $4,730.04 in payment to U.P. Engineers & Architects for work on Phase 3 of the Houghton sewer system improvements and $7,389.40 for water system improvements.