26 Nason St. Photo: City of Sanford
By Renée Morin
The Sanford City Council on Wednesday ordered an apartment building at 26 Nason St. locked up because of dangerous conditions.
The decision came after the council was briefed on the alleged condition of the property’s four rental units by Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Lederer. A dangerous or nuisance building is defined by the city as a property that is dangerous to “life or property, surrounding or otherwise.”
In addition, the council ordered the owner to have the property vacated and cleaned and said that the building must be either rehabilitated or a rehabilitation plan approved within 30 days.
The previous owners of the property were Laurie and Howard Severance, but since a foreclosure last March the building has been in the possession of U.S. Bank National Association.
According to Lederer, violations concerning some of the building’s rental units date back to 2019. Since then, multiple units have been vacated and had their violations addressed, only for other problems to be found.
Lederer said violations have included infestations of rodents and insects, unsanitary living conditions, broken locks and missing fire and carbon monoxide alarms. In 2026, all units were ordered vacated due a lack of sanitation and running water to the units and sprinkler system. Currently, one tenant lives in the building without access to running water. The tenant will need to be evicted due to the unsafe conditions, he said.
Rob Peacock, who owns the house across from the property, told the council about numerous problems. He said there were issues with trash from the property ending up in the street and on neighbors’ lawns, people climbing into windows, loud noises at night, and unhoused people gathering in the area.
Peacock said that when he previously talked to the City Council, he was unable to get assistance. “I brought my kid here two years ago from Biddeford for a better life. [I am] not dealing with this,” said Peacock, who urged the council to act.
Andrew Schaefer, an attorney with Brock & Scott, which worked with the bank on the foreclosure, revealed that the property’s previous owners had agreed to waive the usual 90-day waiting period to allow the bank to sell the property sooner. Before a sale can happen, though, the property needs to be secured and the remaining tenant evicted. Schaefer said he could pass on complaints from the neighbors to the bank.
Reached for comment, previous owner Laurie Severance said the deterioration of the building is due in part to the lack of a homeless shelter in town.
Councilor Ayn Hanselmann asked whether the council should make any procedural changes to allow the Land Bank Commission to address dangerous buildings more quickly. She suggested that this issue should be discussed at future council meetings.
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