The Town of South Boston is getting into the blight removal business. One of the first buildings you see entering the town will soon be flattened… and good riddance to it.
Here’s the announcement that we got from the Town of South Boston today:
Town Manager Tom Raab announced today that the Town of South Boston has contracted to purchase the old Puryear Tire Company property at 1096 Huell Matthews Highway, PRN# 21156. The building has been in steady decline since its last occupant, The Shop in Riverdale, closed in 2012. The one acre property, assessed at $84,700, was purchased for $55,000.
Acquisition of this property is part of the Town’s on-going efforts to address both commercial and residential blight. This property is subject to flooding and as such must comply with strict regulations concerning rehabilitation and infill.
Demolition of this dilapidated structure will greatly enhance the southern gateway into South Boston. After demolition the site will be developed as an aesthetically pleasing greenspace.
Back in September 2012, Justin DeMatteo (the owner of “The Shop”) entered a guilty plea to a federal charge of trafficking counterfeit goods. He admitted to selling 100 counterfeit GM engine diagnostic devices. He got one year and one day in federal prison, 3 years of supervised probation and had to pay $328,000 restitution to GM. He also had to forfeit property seized in the raids on the business and his home, including $109,074 in proceeds from the illegal sales. The building was never occupied after that incident and continued to deteriorate.
The town of South Boston is taking a big step in buying and demolishing this building. We’ll see how the greenspace plans work out.
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