The request was filed by building owner 116 W. Main St. LLC, Randy Kimmel, of Covington, after a second attempt to sell the building fell through, the commission was told last week.
The mostly vacant three-story property commonly referred to as “the Tavern,” was damaged during the January 2020 tornado that struck downtown Troy. The building’s last tenants relocated after the tornado damage.
Tarps now hang in pieces from the building’s top and a fence has closed the sidewalk below to pedestrians, requiring them to walk in Main Street traffic.
An earlier proposal to demolish the building and, in the initial proposal, turn the space into parking drew protests by residents opposed to removing a structure some argued was a piece of local history and leaving a gap in the city’s historic district. The city staff recommended denial of the initial demolition request.
The request was pending for several months before the Planning Commission while structural analyses were performed and options to demolition explored. The demolition request was withdrawn by in April by Kimmel, who said if the sale fell through, he would again evaluate options including another possible request to demolish.
The building owner this summer received orders for action both from the county chief building official and the city of Troy development department zoning inspector.
Rob England, county chief building official said earlier in the summer he updated an adjudication letter he previously issued following the tornado.
“It was revised to include verbiage stating that the items of public safety (the front parapet, etc.) must be repaired within 45 days. Recently there has been bricks that have fallen onto the sidewalk. Even though the area is fenced off this still constitutes a public hazard as pieces of brick can fly far from where they originally hit the sidewalk,” England said.
After the 45 days passed without correction, the adjudication letter was turned over to county prosecutors in late August, England said.
The city sent a letter seeking a series of repairs to the structure then approved an extension that expired Sept. 1. The demolition request was submitted Sept. 1, said Tim Davis, city development director.
The city staff is recommending approval of demolition. Its report notes the building: is not listed on the National Register or Ohio Historic Inventory form and has been declared unsafe. The staff also wrote that applicant “has demonstrated substantial economic hardship for the repair costs due to tornado storm damage making the building economically obsolete” and a minimal reuse plan has been submitted.
That reuse plan said the site would be compacted with fill and seed and straw.
The Planning Commission agreed last week to hear comments at the Sept. 22 meeting from proponents and opponents with each side being given time for a primary and secondary speaker. Public comments will be allowed as long as the comments do not reiterate information already provided.
The Troy Historic Preservation Alliance opposes demolition of the structures built in 1840 and 1902.
“We ask that the Troy Planning Commission deny this application to demolish a large part of downtown Troy’s historic streetscape. This is a case that cries out for code enforcement. The owner of the 112-118 W. Main St. building is the only property owner who did not fix up their building after the January 2020 tornado hit downtown Troy,” the statement said.
“He has proposed to replace the building with nothing but a grass lot; the city itself said earlier this year that leaving a gap in the downtown was insufficient. The city-funded Woolpert study concluded that the only damage done by the tornado was to the north parapet wall; extensive damage was not caused by the tornado, as the property owner claims, and the owner should use insurance proceeds to repair the damage, as other property owners have done.”
The alliance urged the city to require the owner to repair the wall along Main Street to address the safety issue. “By approving this demolition now, the city would give up all leverage and would hand this property owner and other downtown property owners a playbook for how to neglect their buildings and then try to profit from demolishing them. The Planning Commission and City of Troy must encourage a culture of stewardship instead,” the alliance said.
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