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Get building first, decide use later

Posted by

Mark Beardsley

in Opinions

Wednesday, December 1. 2010

Comment (1)

The Commerce Downtown Development Authority has reportedly been contacted about accepting the former Oxford Industries building on State Street as a gift. While there has been no action on the request, at least two city officials have indicated that they’d like to see the building razed to create another parking lot.

There is no pressing need to move quickly on deciding how to use the property. The initial inquiry contained a proposed stipulation that the city use it for “public purposes.” If the city is inclined to accept the property, there should be no strings attached to its use; the city should have the right to use the property in any way it sees fit, including selling it if a buyer appears.

If the gift of the property takes place, the first order of business should be to have an architect with historic preservation expertise look over the building to see if it can be restored or if it is really too late to save it. That’s a call that should be made by only by a professional. If the building has restoration potential, the city should stabilize it and hold onto it in hopes of either finding funding for its restoration or, better yet, finding an investor willing to restore the building. The apparel and textile businesses made Commerce what it is today, and we ought not to be in a hurry to remove old buildings that played a role in the city’s development. Instead, their preservation ought to be a top priority.

Unless the building poses a public health threat, the city should be in no hurry to bulldoze it. The city can tear it down at any time in the future, but, given the city’s financial condition, it seems unlikely that money will be available soon for doing anything with or to the structure. Let the city accept the building with no condition. We can make a decision on how it can best be utilized in due time.

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#1 Anonymous on 12/02/10 at 07:02 AM [Reply]

"If the city is inclined to accept the property, there should be no strings attached to its use; the city should have the right to use the property in any way it sees fit, including selling it if a buyer appears."

My, aren't we the arrogant one! So, if someone wants to give you something, YOU get to decide if there are strings attached or not?

With thinking like yours, it is no wonder most people don't reach out to help others anymore.

So, lets say that you want Bubba to come over and repair your damaged roof. For FREE. And Bubba says "Well, okay...I'll come over and do the work for free, but it will have to be Saturday afternoon." But not for YOU, YOU tell Bubba "Oh, no, you need to call in sick from work tomorrow, Bubba, and get over here and fix my roof right away! (Still for FREE!)"

People BUY property (yes, you know, actually PAY for it, not get it for FREE!!!) that has "strings attached" all of the time (ever heard of "covenants"???), yet you in your self-important "it has to be MY way or NO way" attitude think that if a company wants to GIVE property to the city (for FREE), it should have no right to try to make sure that the property is then put to good use for the public?

If the city doesn't want to accept the liability, or it just has no interest in the building, it doesn't have to accept the property.

But to make a bone-headed statement like you have, that just stinks of arrogance and self-importance.

Why don't you run for political office, with your attitude, you would make a great politian (and no, that isn't a compliment).

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