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Auburn City Manager Jenny Haines told the City Council on June 17 that written communication is being sent to the owners, Felipe and Katherine Martin, of the six-story building at 120 Genesee St. The Martins will be notified of code violations and invoiced for the installation of fencing in front of the building.

The city provided the violation order in response to a Freedom of Information Law request from Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. According to the report, the building has been deemed unsafe due to the condition of its exterior facade. The city is exercising its authority to take emergency action and require the owners to make immediate repairs to the building. City law allows such action when there is "immediate danger to life or safety of any person."

Haines confirmed to Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that the owners will be asked to pay the outstanding code enforcement fees and for the use of the city's fencing that was installed to block parking spaces and the sidewalk in front of the building. The invoice sent to the Martins includes the labor costs for installing the fencing, as well as an $8-a-day charge for each parking space that is inaccessible.

The total cost wasn't immediately available. Haines said it would be calculated when the fencing is removed and the parking spaces are available again.

Records show the Martins, who live in California, paid $761,250 to buy the building in 2016. It has been vacant since Chemung Canal Trust Co. moved its bank to the neighboring building at 110 Genesee St. in 2017.

The nearly century-old structure has largely been used as a financial institution. It was originally the headquarters of the National Bank of Auburn. Bank of America had a branch there before Chemung Canal Trust Co. acquired it in 2013.

In 2022, debris fell from its facade onto the sidewalk of the busy downtown street. Scaffolding was installed, which blocked access to the sidewalk and several parking spaces.

Six months later, in January 2023, developers announced a $7.3 million plan for rehabilitating the downtown building. It would feature commercial space on the first two floors and apartments on the upper floors.

The city sought a $2 million grant through the Restore NY Communities Initiative, a program that supports the rehabilitation of blighted properties. While they weren't successful on the first try, the city was awarded $1 million for the project in 2024.

However, there wasn't activity at the building until June 6, when portions of the facade fell to the sidewalk. The city acted quickly to install fencing to block access in front of the building.

Haines revealed at the City Council meeting that the owners have enlisted architects and engineers "related to the work that needs to be done to secure the dangerous situation with that building." Flaum Management, which is the property manager working with the Martins, did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, on the same day debris fell from the building again, the Sacramento Business Journal that the Martins paid $6.77 million to buy an office building in California's capital city.