BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Charles "Chuck" Dobucki, the owner of four vacant, dilapidated properties in the Allentown and Johnson Park neighborhoods, was back in housing court Monday to answer to longstanding housing code violations.
His properties gained renewed attention after the tragic murders of an Allentown couple — Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto — in their home at 5 St. Louis Place, which is located just across the street from 2 St. Louis, a vacant three-story apartment building.
Neighbors said that the property drew squatters and people doing drugs.
Dobucki was arrested in April on bench warrants for failing to appear in housing court.
"This is Dobucki day," declared Housing Court Judge Phillip Dabney Jr. in court as he tried to sort through stacks of files for each of Dobucki's properties: 102 Johnson Park, 377 Maryland Avenue, 42 Cottage Street and 2 St. Louis.
He set a date of July 14 for when Dobucki must return again. He said he wanted him to take action on the properties before deciding what would happen.
Many Allentown leaders are hoping that the judge decides to put the buildings into receivership, meaning someone would be appointed to act as the owner and take remedial actions to fix them.
"The solution is getting him to sell these properties or move them into receivership," said Buffalo Common Council member Mitch Nowakowski.
Bernice Radle, the executive director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara, said her organization has been able to rescue a Dobucki property before through receivership.
“We actually have a successful story with a vacant Chuck Dobucki property," she said. "It's now owned by a lovely gentleman who's been renovating. It's brought back to life. The taxes are being paid. It looks gorgeous."
