Anniston declares shopping center public nuisance

The Anniston City Council voted Monday to declare the Lenlock Shopping center a public nuisance. With the declaration, the city now has the authority to entice an owner through legal means to repair the building or have it torn down to protect public health and safety.

Now that it’s been declared a nuisance, City Manager Brian Johnson Johnson said, the city could do nothing; it could demolish the site; it could put a lien on the property; or it could use the declaration to encourage the owners of the center to make changes.

While there are a few businesses at the shopping center, most of the building, erected in 1958, is vacant and in disrepair. During the council's work session last week, Tana Bryant, code enforcer, presented pictures that showed some sections had water damage, while others had green mold growing on the floor. Also, Bryant had said the roof was in danger of possibly collapsing in one section of the building.

Johnson said the shopping center is currently in the care of the state after the previous owners failed to pay property taxes. However, the city can't get the state to pay for repairs to the site.

Johnson said an auction of the site is being organized and could be held within a month, at which point the city would talk with the buyer about the building's restoration.