Owner Fights to Save House

Neighbors Asking County to Raze It

By Derek Kravitz (Contact)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Two fires, several break-ins, one destroyed roof and four years of rain, snow and sun have left a two-story house at 45 Acorn Ct. in Sterling, or what's left of it, in disarray.

Carlyle Alford III bought the brick, single-family house in southwestern Sterling in 1994 for $190,000. Years later, he and his wife, Deborah, divorced. Alford compiled an "enormous debt" afterward, he said, and then lost his job.

A devastating electrical fire broke out in August 2005. Alford said he lost all of his clothes and most of his possessions. Insurers and his mortgage company fought over the $90,000 that was to be paid. The house sat unrepaired, a hangout for teenagers who wanted a secret place to smoke and for wildlife and rodents.

A second fire consumed most of the rest of the house in February. Only a shell remains.

Courtesy of the Loudoun County Government

The two-story house at 45 Acorn Court in Sterling that nearby homeowners want razed.

"Neighbors have had to put up with this eyesore for almost four years," said Milton Settar, president of the Forest Ridge Homeowners Association. Settar said that home assessments in the neighborhood have fallen because of the property, and that it is "totally unfair" and a "double whammy" for homeowners already hurt by the nationwide economic downturn.

Most nearby houses are worth about twice the $151,000 assessment of the house at 45 Acorn Ct., according to county records. In 2006, it was assessed at $515,000.

Settar and other neighbors spoke Monday night in front of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, asking county officials to condemn the property. The house would be the first to be demolished under the county's blight abatement program, which took effect in December 2007.

"It took four years to get a dumpster, and none of the rusty metal, the broken glass from the February fire has been cleaned up," said Izolda Rosenthal, who lives next to Alford's house. "It's apparent Mr. Alford is waiting for someone to clean up that mess. ...Clearly, he will not do anything unless he is under imminent threat."

County officials have been hesitant to act, instead waiting for Alford to show signs of making headway on his promised improvements. Alford received four building permits last week, and a rollaway trash bin for construction materials was brought in Friday.

Still, Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling) said it was time for action to be taken, adding that "four years is a long time." The board's vote on the potential demolition of the house is slated for June 2.

The razing could cost the county from $75,000 to $85,000, according to estimates, which could be recouped from the property owner by court order, officials said.

Alford said that he shares in his neighbors' frustration, and that he will rebuild his home to its original condition. He asked the Board of Supervisors not to condemn the property and showed two insurance checks he received last month as evidence that he has the wherewithal to rehabilitate the house.

"Clearly, I keep running into unexpected problems," said Alford, who added that members of the Church of Latter-day Saints will help pay for the reconstruction. "Money is the main driver."

Tagged: Board of Supervisors, Fire, Fire Department, Sterling, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio

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