The City of Lorain has now turned over safety and code violations at the former Spitzer Plaza Hotel to its municipal court.
The old hotel has been vacant since 2005, and Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer reports the city has been waiting for the location to be redeveloped for quite some time.
The Lorain Building Department has cited the building for falling brick work and other safety issues, but so far the owner of the building, Spitzer Great Lakes Ltd., has not come up with a permanent fix for all the safety violations.
Spitzer attorney Anthony Giardini told newsnet5.com delays in repairs were caused because they didn't want to make repairs that could be rejected by future developers.
Mayor Ritenauer told newsnet5.com a deal is in the works to have the building owners donated the complex to the port authority, which could make redevelopment for economically feasible.
However in the meantime, the Mayor said the city will peruse legal channels to get the property up to code.
Developers have submitted plans to turn the old hotel into upscale apartments.
