It appears a St. Paul couple's efforts to save their 100-year-old home from demolition have been exhausted, following a Ramsey County judge's ruling.
Judge Laura Nelson denied a request for a temporary restraining order by John and Mary Jo Kattar, saying the city's decision to demolish the home at 1904 Princeton Av. was a "quasi-judicial" decision she does not have jurisdiction to overturn. The state Court of Appeals later upheld the city's decision.
The Friday ruling essentially leaves the couple, which was forced to vacate the home in 2007 after years of hoarding, "out of options," said Matt Anderson, their attorney. Without the courts stepping in, he said, there is nothing stopping the city from tearing down the house.
"I would say it's a complicated legal issue," Anderson said of his argument to leave the home standing.
If Nelson had agreed, the Kattars had an agreement with a former neighbor to remodel and sell the home, splitting the proceeds with the couple. Without the judge's intervention, there is no agreement.
St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson said the city has tried for years to avoid taking this step.
"In the Kattars' case, they have been given an exceptional number of opportunities to rectify the condition of their property following a condemnation process that began back in 2007," she said. "It's never a small matter to demolish a home that has become a health and safety hazard to the community... Judge Nelson's decision merely allows the city to proceed with the removal decision affirmed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals."
For years after the house was condemned and the Kattars ordered to vacate, not much else happened. Then, in September 2019, the city told the couple the home was a nuisance property and that it could be demolished if its code violations weren't corrected.