Former Fostoria Investor Sold All But 1 Property to “Get Out of That Town”

FOSTORIA- Local business owner Randy Cunningham, who owns the property at 304 N. Main Street, says the building has been effectively frozen by conflicting directives from city officials.

Cunningham claims a previous city compliance officer approved renting the high-end apartments, including to two single mothers. However, he received a citation from Fostoria Fire Chief Root giving him just 48 hours to remove the tenants. Despite the county auditor classifying the building as a duplex (residential), Cunningham says Root has blocked all use of the property — even basic storage improvements like installing a 2×4.

“My attorney told me to comply and we’d take it to court,” Cunningham said. “This building is in compliance with the county, but according to Root I can’t do anything with it. I’m still paying property taxes on a property I can’t rent or use.”

Cunningham says he has already sold $1.3 million in other investments to exit Fostoria, but the 304 N. Main property remains unsellable due to the restrictions.

The Fostoria Free Press will continue to follow both the 304NMain LLC case and any additional developments regarding Chief Root’s reported departure and the city’s code enforcement practices.

Have you experienced issues with code enforcement in Fostoria? Share your thoughts below (civilly).