Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

The owners of the former bank building, Felipe and Katherine Martin, had scaffolding installed last week, according to Auburn City Manager Jenny Haines. However, the city's code enforcement office directed the owners to install two additional stories of scaffolding and netting.

"The contractor is on site to complete that work," Haines told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. "When the condition is deemed acceptable by city staff, then the fencing will be removed in order to reopen the sidewalk and parking spaces."

The netting and scaffolding would remain until the necessary repairs are made to the building. The repairs would resolve code violations found after debris fell from the six-story structure on June 6.

The parking spaces and sidewalk have been inaccessible since the debris fell in June. A fence was installed to block access to the spaces and sidewalk.

In June, Haines said the Martins would pay for the installation of the fencing, along with an $8-a-day charge for the parking spaces that have been blocked off.

According to the violation order obtained by Ë®¹ûÅÉAV through a Freedom of Information Law request, the building is considered unsafe due to the condition of the exterior facade. The city took emergency action requiring the Martins to repair the building. The city code grants that authority when there is an "immediate danger to life or safety of any person."

It is the second time debris has fallen from the downtown building, which has been vacant since 2017 when Chemung Canal Trust Co. moved to the neighboring 110 Genesee St. In 2022, pieces of the building fell to the sidewalk. Scaffolding was installed and remained in place for months.

The Martins are planning to invest $7.3 million to transform it into a mixed-use building, with commercial space on the first two floors and apartments on the upper floors. The city was awarded a $1 million state grant to support the project.