HDC_03 18 1999City of Little Rock
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
18 MARCH 1999 MEETING
(This meeting date was scheduled on 28 January due to tornado damages)
MINUTES
Commissioners Present: John Greer, Chair Judy Gardner
Howard H. Gordon Mark Zoeller
Commissioners Absent: Charles Marratt
Staff: V. Anne Guthrie Margi Gant Anthony Black
The meeting of the Little Rock Historic District Commission "(LRHDC) was called to order and
roll call was taken; there was a quorum but no minutes were presented. The motion to reverse
the order of the agenda was approved.
The first COA application for consideration was:
Applicant: Ginney Pumphrey
Address: 1409 Rock
Request: Demolition of structure due to tornado damage
The owner presented the demolition request; photographs depicted the damage to the subject
property and its immediate area. The house was an 1880s structure, which had been in the
family for decades. Documentation was presented regarding the assessments of the tornado-
damaged areas; the assessments were performed by three entities, the city's Rebuild Assessment
Team, Public Works and the state Historic Preservation Program. All three teams listed the
property as destroyed by the tornado, and it is one of 73 assessed as destroyed. There was a
motion to approve the COA request for demolition; it was unanimously approved.
The second COA application was:
Applicant: Park Place Condominiums; Don Campbell, President
Address: 916 - 924 Commerce
Request: Demolition of structure due to fire
Commissioner Gardner recused herself from the meeting. Campbell, president of the Park Place
Property Owner's Association, presented the structure's condition caused by the June 1998 fire.
He handed out additional documentation and summarized the association's and condo
regulations regarding structural damage. The association is seeking approval to demolish the 21-
unit structure, if it does not sell. The association's insurance expires mid-April, and should the
structure not sell prior to that date, it will have to be demolished due to the lack of liability.
Little Rock Historic District Commission
18 March 1999 Minutes, Page 2
The LRHDC discussed the length of time that the subject property was on the market, how it was
listed, the process of notification and other issues related to the property being for sale. The
applicant's lawyer stated that the structure is not listed with a real estate agency, but the
association has a committee responsible for getting the word out; the structure has been on the
market for thirty (30) days; there is one offer pending; and a small "For Sale by Owner" sign was
posted a little over a week ago. The condo association was notified by the insurance company on
20 January as to the costs, etc. and the association met 4 February to discuss the possibilities.
There have been queries about the structure, but several neighbors did not know it was for sale.
There was conversation regarding the association's insurance, its liability, rehabilitation costs
(estimates by East-Harding) and other related issues. The structure is secured along its perimeter
by chain link fencing and is posted. There was discussion about the issue of liability, and why
the structure had been for sale only the past few weeks. Greer stated that while the fire was in
June 1998, he asked what the decision-making process had been since last summer. He stated
that he was taken back by the issue of liability and insurance being raised when the association
knew there was a deadline of April; and he was offended that the LRHDC was just now
confronted with the issue of demolition and the association's hardship. He stated that more of an
effort should be made to sell the structure, to get the word out, to secure interested parties for its
purchase or to allow at least a few more months for the structure to be on the market; it is very
difficult to expect property, especially commercial, to sell within a month.
There was no one present to speak against the application and no neighborhood response to those
notified about the demolition. The neighborhood association's president, in a phone
conversation, stated that while the condo has been a good neighbor, he agreed with staff
recommendation. Staff recommendation is to defer the application for demolition for six ( 6)
months in order to pursue other solutions for demolition. This recommendation is within the
purview of the LRHDC and is detailed in the city ordinance.
A motion was made to defer the application for six months; the motion was approved
unanimously. Campbell asked about the appeal process and Black stated that it could not be
appealed as no decision was made; the LRHDC only deferred the decision. The applicant was
informed that additional documentation regarding the process of notification (what realtors were
notified, insurance and liability documentation, etc.) could be presented to staff.
As there was no other business, the LRHDC adjourned at 5:45 p.m.