MARTINSVILLE, Va. – In 2017, a massive fire destroyed the factory at 200 Aaron Street.
The bricks and twisted metal that remained after the fire have been there ever since, but the city now wants the property cleaned up.
At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, council members were expected to pass a resolution requiring the property owner to demolish what remains of the factory and have the land graded or pay the city to do the work.
Property owner Lowanda Martin said she can't afford to pay a contractor or the city to do the work.
"(The city has) said that if I will give them the land they will take care of it, I won't have to clean it up," Martin explained.​
She doesn't want to donate the land, but said she would sell it to the city.
City Manager Leon Towarnicki said buying the property is not an option because it has a negative value.
Tuesday night's resolution, if passed, will be the first of its kind in the city Towarnicki said.
"City Council has neighborhood meetings and once a year they'll meet with neighbors in that area. For the past two years, that's been an issue that we've heard a lot about: When is the city going to require something to happen on that property?" Towarnicki said.
In March, Martin had a contractor ready to clean up the site and then buy the land, but Towarnicki said the city wouldn't issue a demolition permit because the contractor isn't licensed to do that kind of work.
"I don't know what to do," Martin said.
A factory across the street from Martin's burned down about four years ago and has not been cleaned up, but Towarnicki said the property owner has tentatively agreed to give the land to the city.
"The city hasn't accepted it yet because we're waiting to see if we can obtain grant funding to get it cleaned up," Towarnicki said.
Towarnicki said the city would likely have to pay about $60,000 to have a contractor clean up Martin's property.
The money would come from the city's reserve fund.
If Martin couldn't pay, she would get to keep the property but a lien would be placed on it.