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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC1987-006 Memorandum From BODC To Mayor And Board Of Directors 03/21/1986BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION M E M O R A N D U M March 21, 1986 TO: Mayor and Board of Directors FROM.: Charles Nickerson, Acting City Manager Wv SUBJECT: 522 Rock Street The attached correspondence from Mr. John P. Corn, Attorney for The American Legion, is in reference -to property located at 522 Rock Street. The property is owned by The American Legion, who purchased it with the intent of demolishing the building and constructing a parking lot. The building had been condemned by the City prior to The American Legion's acquisition of the property. In December 1985, The Legion's application to demolish the structure and erect a parking lot was delayed for six months by the MacArthur Park Historic District Commission. Our office became involved in this matter in February when several businessmen in that area complained about the deplorable condition of the building. (See attached file memo from Brenda Donald.) Specifically, Mr. Corn has requested that the Board amend the Historic District Commission ordinance to reduce its authority to impose demolition delays. Mr. Corn has requested that this issue be placed on the next Board agenda. - Robert Atkinson, the City representative to the Historic District Commission and Secretary for the Commission, has been actively involved in this case. His comments regarding the authority of the Historic District 'Commission are contained in the attached memo. We concur with his recommendations and urge the Board not to make any amendments to the Historic District Commission ordinance. CN:af1 Attachment CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS JOHN P. CORM ATTORNEY AT LAW 9105 CHICOT ROAD LITTLE ROCK, AR 72209 501-568-2170 March 10, 1986 Assistant City Manage -,- City Hall Markham & Broadway Little Rack, AR 72201 SUBJECT: American Legion property 522 Rock Request to be put on agenda for next City Board of Direct ors Meeting Dear Madam: I have been told about the meeting you held with a number of residents Of the vicinity of Sth and Nock Street concerning the conduct of vagrants on 00 about the premises at 522 Rock. I have written: the City Attorney about the situations andntaiked to hits on the telephone recently -and it 'agpeans we" are at a dead end. Perhaps the• Mar•d -cif Directors can get things moving some way. I i The pAPerty is an extreme hazard to life and property as was testified to by numerous witnesses at the hearing before the Little hock Historic District Commsssson. I would suggest you review the file of the Historic District, the City Attorney's letters, the testimony offered by witnesses at the Historic District meeting, in order to understand why_ I request that we be put On the agenda immediately. Because of the insurance crisis, The American Legion has been unable to Purchase liability insurance and the 'Trustees feel that this delay causes all the neighbors the possibility of injury and damage from fire, wind and falling debris because of the condition of the premises. Please let me hear from by March 20th as to the next meeting we can be on the agenda and the approximate place on the agenda. In order to speed things up I attach a copy of my letter of December, 9, 1985 to the City Attorney requesting that I be out on the City Manager March 10, 1986 Pane i agenda and for some reason this request has been declined. I also attach a copy of the Gazette article concerning the July hearirig. I would appreciate a response in writing as to your actions so I cars know that we are moving on this without further• delay. Yours sincerely, Jch Cc�rr� JAC : Cp- rosc Encls: CC : Mr. Edward Braun, Adjutant Awer i can Legion Post No. 1 315 cast Cacital Little dock, AR 72201 Director Charles Bussey Director Bob Hess Director Lottie Shackleford Director J. W. Bersafield JOHN P. CORN ATTORNEY AT LAW 9105 CHICOT ROAD LITTLE ROCK, AR 72209 501-568-2170 December 9, 1985 Mark Stodola, Attorney City of Little Rock City Hall Building Markham and Broadway Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Mark C(DPY Last July I wrote YOU about tree purchase of 522 Rock Street, and which the Board of Directors had passed any Ordinance owdening It be demolished because of the safety, health, and fire hazard. The property is in the Historic District, and the Trustees nave applied to the Distract for a permit to destroy the property. The District refused to act on the request and instead postponed the matter to an indefinite date. Every property owner who was notified was in favor of demolishing the property; 3 property owners adpeared and begged the Commission to act immediately. Does the Historic District Commission have superior, autmonity to countermand and hold up the Board of Directors+ ordinance that the property be towns downs? It's diffi-cult for me to believe that the City of Little Rock Board of Directors has vested its power of safety and health in the Historic District. If there is a loss of life or extreme opoperty damane, on whose shoulders does the resoonssibility rest? The City Board of Directors? The Historic District? The City Attorney, or the prior City Board that vested the authority to frustrate the will of the present Board of Directors in the Little Rock Historic District? It appears that the Historic District Ord immediately so that when the Board passes something be demolished the City employee demolitions permit can be disciplined. At employee is instructed not to do what the ordered, but is ordered to go by what the decides. n:an:ce needs amending an ord i na nsce ord er i nrg who refuses to issue a the present time, that Board of Directors has Historic District This has been a hazard and a slum blight on the neighborhood for Many years, and for the City to continue to risk the property and lives of the nearby neighbors points out the failure of the ordinance setting up the Little Rack Historic District. I would like to appear at the next Board of Directors meeting to present these issues to the Board for its consideration. Will you please put this on the agenda at the agenda session, on net the persons who is actually in charge of the agenda to do so, and ask that person to let me know the proper onocedune so that we can work on this problem. Yours sincerely, John P. Cor rs JPCJac IR CITY OF LITTLE BOCK March 18, 1986 TO: File MEMORANDUM FROM: Brenda Donald, Administrative Assistant SUBJECT: 522 Rock Street On Wednesday, February 26th, I received a call from Richard Cook of Cook and Associates regarding an abandoned building at 522 Rock Street, directly across the street from his business. According to Mr. Cook, the building was a health and fire hazard and was illegally occupied by vagrants who harassed his female employees. Mr. Cook said that the building was owned by the American Legion, who had purchased_ it with the intent to demolish the structure and build a parking lot. The following day I met with Mr. Cook and a group of interested parties along with Joe McCain of the Public Works Department, at the Rock Street address. I told them that I would research the facts of this case and report back to Mr. Cook. Upon checking out the history of this case, I learned the following: 1. 522 Rock Street was condemned per City Ordinance No. 14,897, dated June 4, 1985, (see file). 2. On December 5, 1985, the Historic District Commission delayed for six months the application by John Corn, Attorney for the American Legion, for a "Certificate of Appropriateness" for the demolition of the building and construction of a parking lot at 522 Rock Street. 3. At their February 19th meeting, the Historic District Commission voted to rehear the Rock Street case at their April 3rd meeting. DGVIJio1 1 on house i postponed The Little Rock llistoric District Commission Thursday deferred action for up to six months on a re- quest by the M.M. Lberts Post 1 of the American Legion at 315 Fast Capitol Avenue to demolish a boarding house at 522 Rock Street for expansion of the Post parking lot. Nearby property owners sup- ported the Legion's plans, saying that the boarding house, which is now vacant and condemned, har- bors pests and transients.who are. a nuisance, has long been an eye- sore and is a fire hazard. But the Quapaw Quarter Associ- ation and the state IIistoric Preser- vation Program were opposed. Cheryl Nichols, the Quapaw Quar- ter Association director, said the Association didn't oppose demoli- tion of the house, but that a park- ing lot on the site would contribute to "erosion" of the fringes of the MacArthur Park historic District and have a negative impact on nearby historic houses. Bill IIall -of the IIistoric Preser- vation Program called for delay of the demolition until the Commis- sion is convinced the house can't be redeveloped. - The. Legion is. willing to.. sell the house to a developer. IIomer Connell, who runs the Lucky Seven Superette at 314 Last Sixth Street," next to the house, said that when his customers see the house, "it doesn't increase their appetite. If the looks don't get you, the odor will." W.J. Walker, a lawyer with of- fices in a restored house at Sixth and Rock, said "neighbors are fed up" with the house and that it's "urgent that it be disposed of, lie and Raymond Branton, the Legion's architect, said it wouldn't be economically feasible to rede- velop the house. Walker said a po- liceman told him that when he was trying to arrest a transient in. the house, the transient collapsed and fell through a wall. The Lcbion has 47 , parking spaces and the expansion would provide about 30 m.ore. The new larger lot' would be landscaped. John Corn, the Legion's agent, said 300 to 600 persons visit the Post daily. . I was informed of item No. 3 by Robert Atkinson, City Representative to the Historic District Commission, who indicated that in all likelihood, the Commission would approve the demolition of the building, but that they still had some reservations about the parking lot. On Wednesday, March 6, I contacted Richard Cook and informed him of the Historic District Commission's vote to rehear the Rock Street case. On March 13th, I received a letter from John Corn regarding the Rock Street case and requesting that he be placed on the Agenda to discuss amending the ordinance that established the Historic District Commission (see file). Robert Atkinson later informed me that he had spoken to Mr. Corn on March llth, and that Mr. Corn had requested a delay of the rehearing by the Historic District Commission. I contacted Mr. Corn on March 14th to discuss his letter and his request for a postponement. Mr. Corn said that he was not prepared to go before the Commission in April, that he wanted his application considered in its entirety, and that he didn't care if the building remained standing "forever" if the parking lot was not approved. He further stated that he wished to be placed on the Board Agenda per his letter. After discussing this case with Charles Nickerson, on March 14th, I requested that Robert Atkinson provide us with a memo containing his recommendations. That memo is included in the file. BD:vmll