City Gives 30 Days to Fix Code Violations at Del Sol Home

The city has ordered a 30-day cleanup period for residents of a home on North Del Sol Lane, where a fatal shooting that took place on April 7 led investigators to discover 10 building and fire code violations at the home.

According to a city order issued Monday morning, residents of the home will have seven days to clean up all items stored in the front yard and 30 days to resolve all of the code violations before the city would step in to begin cleanup and improvement work.

Community Development Director Greg Gubman said the city has been working cooperatively with the homeowners to correct the violations.

During an inspection of the home on April 14, codes enforcement officials found blocked exits, hazardous materials and electrical wiring, unpermitted building alterations, and unpermitted uses of the property, where automobile and motorcycle customizations and repairs were found to be taking place.

According to a MySpace page with the title "k-kustoms," belonging to resident Kyle Jacobs, a number of photos posted to the account show motorcycles and other projects on display in front of the home. The account profile states that Jacobs was paid to do welding and custom painting.

Jacobs is currently awaiting trial on charges of murder, , in connection with the April 7 shooting that left his former roommate, , dead. According to family members, Modica had become a welder in his late 20s and enjoyed welding "as a craft as well as a profession."

Gubman said that the parts and machinery associated with the motorcycle and auto repair operation at the home had crowded much of the house and that the industrial machinery was not to be run from a residential power supply, which posed an electrical hazard.

City inspectors discovered numerous other fire hazards including "an atypical amount of combustible and/or flammable material" and hoarding conditions inside of the building.

Lisa Davis, a representative the Deane Homes Swim Club and homeowners association, said at an April 19 city council meeting that the residence has long been a concern for neighbors in the area, who she said have made multiple attempts to address conditions at the home.

"Despite efforts of immediate neighbors and the homeowners association, the situation not only continued but deteriorated," Davis said.

Davis said she and neighbors are concerned about the future condition of the home, which she said "has decreased safety, neighborhood appeal, and home values" in the area.

Gubman said that most of the violations discovered by the city posed hazards specifically for the residents of the home and that dangers to neighbors have been reduced as the improperly wired commercial-grade machinery is no longer being used.

The residents have been ordered to clear all hazardous waste and materials within 7 days and will be required to resolve all interior fire hazards within the next 30 days.

To fix the code violations within the specified timeframe, residents will be allowed temporary entry into the home between 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday in order to resolve the various code violations.