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Town Pursues Fines, Lien against Woodridge Circle Property after Homeowner Ignores Blight Citation

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After a New Canaan homeowner ignored a blight citation issued two summers ago, town officials now are notifying a lien-holder for his property as they prepare to assess fines. The town also will seek to place its own lien on the long-vacant Colonial at 4 Woodridge Circle, officials said. Owned by Stephen Perry, according to tax records, the neglected 3,608-square-foot home sits on 2.05 acres. The town on Feb. 27 informed JP Morgan Chase Bank about the Notice of Violation issued in July 2015 to Perry, according to correspondence obtained by NewCanaanite.com following a formal request.

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After Years of Tie-Up After Divorce, Woodridge Circle Property To Go To Public Auction

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A court has ordered that a long-vacant New Canaan home go to auction this month, bringing to a close what court documents show to be a bitter years-long fight following a divorce. Cited for blight last summer, the fair market value of the 5-bedroom Colonial and 2.05-acre property at 4 Woodridge Circle is $1,365,000, according to an April 29 appraisal ordered by state Superior Court in Stamford. An inspection will be held there at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, with a live auction to follow at 10 a.m. The committee attorney appointed to oversee the public auction sale is Joseph DaSilva Jr. of Norwalk-based DePanfilis & Vallerie LLC. It’s encumbered by two liens—a mortgage and home equity line totaling nearly $1.3 million, court records show—and hasn’t been lived in for more than two years. The appraiser’s notes list front porch damage, cracked dining room window, broken shutters, exterior siding damage, basement ceiling damage, broken basement window and mold in a bath and basement.

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Cited for Blight, Woodridge Circle Property Owner Could Face Thousands of Dollars in Fines

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A neglected Woodridge Circle property faces thousands of dollars in fines, as nearly six months have passed since town officials notified its owner that he has run afoul of New Canaan’s blight ordinance. According to a July 1, 2015 “Notice of Violation” obtained by NewCanaanite.com, the 2.05-acre property and 1958-built Colonial at 4 Woodridge Circle meet at least two sections town’s definition of blight:

“Seriously damaged, missing or loose siding, gutters, leaders, shingles or roofing”; and

“Unkempt yards or overgrown lawn grass or weeds.”

Officials in the New Canaan Building Department say they’ve received no communication from the property’s owner, though the Notice of Violation was delivered by registered mail. According to tax records, the property is owned by Stephen Perry. The original notice states that Perry had 14 days “to abate all noted conditions of blight at which time I will issue a citation.”

“If you should fail to abate these conditions after being issued a citation, fines may be imposed in the amount of $100 per day that any conditions of blight remain,” the notice said. Had fines started to accrue straightaway—and town officials in the past have made them retroactive—Perry as of now would incur more than $17,000 in fines.