After Decades of Complaints, Blighted Byram House is Razed

On Tuesday morning a demolition crew arrived at 46 Mead Avenue in Byram around 8:00am.

By 10:00am all that remained was one side of the first floor wall and a heap of floor boards mixed with personal items, and trees that had been chopped and neatly stacked in the side yard.

Gone were the inoperable cars that had been stored in the yard, the chain link fence and stacked panels of stockade fence.

For decades Byram neighbors have been frustrated by the deteriorating condition of the house.

Complaints about the property stem back to the 1980s, before the town enacted its nuisance ordinance.

Remains of 46 Mead Avenue on Tuesday Nov 19, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Remains of 46 Mead Avenue on Tuesday Nov 19, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

In mid July a Change.org petition came in the form of an open letter to several town officials, with the title, “ENFORCE NUISANCE CODE VIOLATIONS AT 46 MEAD AVENUE IN BYRAM.”


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Later in July, First Selectman Peter Tesei said he was sympathetic to neighbors’ complaints, but that the town’s nuisance ordinance, which dated back to the mid to late 1980s, was “mild,” and did not afford the town a lot of teeth.

“I’m sure the folks at the time wanted to make sure that property rights were protected,” he said.

Still he promised the town would work through the process to address the situation, and it did.

Tesei said there are “a handful” of derelict properties out of the town’s 21,000 properties, and that he would recommend strengthening the existing ordinance.

On Monday afternoon, a family member could be seen carrying items from the house to a car.

Yet on Tuesday the debris of the razed house was peppered with belongings.

According to the building department at Greenwich Town Hall, the owners were not required to post a demolition sign because Municipal Code Article 6 Waiting Period for Demolition Permits, Section 6-319 – Applicability of demolition permits “shall not apply to orders of the building official or Director of Health for emergency application because of hazardous buildings or structures, or otherwise posing a threat to public health or safety.”

46 Mead Ave in Byram. Monday Nov 18, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

46 Mead Ave in Byram. Monday Nov 18, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

46 Mead Ave in Byram. Monday Nov 18, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Remains of 46 Mead Avenue on Tuesday Nov 19, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Remains of 46 Mead Avenue on Tuesday Nov 19, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

At right, back of 46 Mead Avenue on Monday, Nov 18, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Gap between stockade fence and chain link gate at 46 Mead Ave. July 20, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Gap between stockade fence and chain link gate at 46 Mead Ave. July 20, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager

Car being towed from the property at 46 Mead Ave. Photo: Liz Eckert