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East Design Review Case Report

2950 E 55TH STREET DEMOLITION

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Project Information

East Case #  EAST 2017-022

Address: 2950 E 55th Street
Company: Baumann Enterprises
Architect:
Description:
Notes:  

Committee Actions/Submissions

Date: October 20, 2017
Committee: Staff
Action Type: Initial Plan Submission
Conditions/Notes:  
 
Date: October 24, 2017
Committee: Local Design Review Committee
Action Type: Tabled
Conditions:  

In light of the Opportunity Corridor Design Review district and development plans for the Slavic Village neighborhood, this property has potential for adaptive reuse and connect with the Hiacynth TOD to the east. There are no building code violations on record. Applicant agreed to meet with Slavic Village Development Corp, City Planning and the Commttee member for a walk through of the property. He also agreed to consider other options such as moth-balling property and studying alternatives.

 

Date: January 11, 2018
Committee: Staff
Action Type: Revised Plan Submission
Conditions/Notes:  
 
Date: January 23, 2018
Committee: Local Design Review Committee
Action Type: Disapproved
Conditions:  

1)The committee would be happy to consider demolition of all or some of the multiple one-story structures, with the 2-story steel frame and 3-story cast-in-place structures that front East 55th to remain. While the redevelopment of the entire complex with all existing building to remain is economically unfeasible, the applicant has not shown convincing evidence that these structures fronting East 55th are not economically feasible for redevelopment or are generally too far gone to even consider re-use.


2) The committee believes that if the applicant's intent is to sell this property to another party for redevelopment is fact, that the property is more desirable to possible buyers as an adaptive re-use and will more likely result in a redevelopment that works with the zoning and master planning around the Opportunity Corridor with the 2-story and 3-story buildings to remain, with an otherwise clean site.


3) As a result of the previous industrial use of this property, any future application request should be accompanied by a Phase 1 Environmental Assessment report, which will identify the possibility of environmental concerns that will require remediation as part of any demolition or redevelopment efforts. At this time, the applicant has made no such report available to the committee or stated the one has been completed. As with many aspects of this case, it is clear that little appropriate due diligence was done by the applicant before purchasing the property or before submitting this demolition request to the city after purchasing the property. Information provided to date has only been per the request of this committee.


4) While the committee hopes that this case is a unique situation, we would like to state that all stakeholders, from various city departments to CDCs, GCP, economic development agencies, and so forth need to take a collaborative and proactive approach to working with landowners adjacent to the Opportunity Corridor who are selling their property or are considering it to market those properties for uses that match the planning work and vision of the Opportunity Corridor. While much great work is underway and has been done, it all can be undermined if parcels like this slip through the cracks and are not redeveloped to their highest and best use. While this is a risk that can never be fully prevented, a hands-off laissez-faire approach, or a selective one, will result in other properties being purchased by entities that are only mildly aware of the OC planning work at best, or completely ignorant of it at worst. This case should serve as a warning sign that this work cannot wait until the roadway project is complete. Active and coordinated efforts must take place between all stakeholders with every single parcel that comes up for sale adjacent to the Corridor. If not, we may be faced with many more cases that echo this one.

 
Date: February 2, 2018
Committee: City Planning Commission
Action Type: Approved
Conditions: