Frackville plans eminent domain, again, on ‘blighted’ home, now seeks adjoining properties

FRACKVILLE – This borough council is planning to take back a property it initially took by eminent domain and sold to a neighbor for demolition. The building is still standing and now, the borough wants the entire row.

At the August borough council meeting, Frackville approved advertising ordinances to take three properties by eminent domain — 432, 434, and 436 South Lehigh Avenue.

The ordinances are expected to be adopted at the Sept. 11 borough council meeting and would invoke the eminent domain process.

The properties include the former Magic Touch Salon, owned by J. Brennan, LLC, of Saint Clair, the former Seitzinger Motors property owned by Robert Rinaldi, and a home in-between at 434 South Lehigh Avenue, also owned by Robert Rinaldi.

Borough Council took the property at 434 South Lehigh by eminent domain in 2024 and in May voted to sell it to Rinaldi for $32,000, on the condition that the structure would be demolished within 60 days of closing.

The building, situated in the middle of the triplex, is still standing today.

Council wants that property back and the buildings on either side of the row. The borough council agenda from August refers to them as “blighted properties.”

A condemned notice is posted on the front door of 434 South Lehigh, dated July 21, 2023, and a rapsheet of code violations is on the front door of 432 South Lehigh, dated Feb. 23, 2022. No violation notices were seen at the front of the former car dealership.

The car lot was Seitzinger Motors until the late 1980’s when it was purchased by the Rinaldi family. It housed the Rinaldi Chrysler dealership until that firm moved to the former Gold Star Ford location in the Turkey Run section of Shenandoah.

It has sat largely vacant since, though new vehicles from the Shenandoah dealerships have been displayed there on occasion.

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