Lebanon drops lawsuit against owner of downtown redevelopment property

The City of Lebanon has dropped its lawsuit against the owners of the old shoe factory to be redeveloped as a microbrewery, restaurant and event center in the downtown business district.

The lawsuit had asked a local judge to order the owners to correct buiding-code violations or the city “or its agents” would do the work at the owners’ cost. The complaint was dismissed Tuesday after the broken windows in the building were boarded up, according to Lebanon City Attorney Mark Yurick.

The building is owned by K&D Alexander Commercial Properties 4, one of those in which the Alexander family manages and holds properties.

The Alexanders own more than 50 properties in Lebanon and Waynesville, and created a chain of retail stores including Rose & Remington and Birch & Burlap clothing and home-decor businesses expected to go nationwide in 2020.

The city filed the lawsuit in December in Lebanon Municipal Court seeking correction of violations at the building, 120 E. South St., including chipped and peeling paint on window frames, missing window panes, rotting wooden steps and a chimney "rusted through to the base."

RELATED: Lebanon sues owner of building to be redeveloped over code violations

The lawsuit also asked the court to appoint someone to oversee the work at the owners’ cost and fine the owners $100 a day “for each and every day of such continuing violations.”

Yurick filed for the dismissal on Tuesday when a pretrial hearing was scheduled. He said the city was simply seeking compliance with city code.

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On Wednesday, Nate Alexander said the lawsuit was dropped after he worked with Lebanon City Manager Scott Brunka.

“We worked with Scott Brunka to comply with the city’s request for the building,” Alexander said in a text message.

In addition to boards on the broken windows, signs on the building advertised Stryker Construction, the contractor the Alexanders uses to build new stores in their retail chain, as well as ARC, the family’s staffing business.

The first phase is to begin once building permits are issued, Alexander said.

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