City councilmen on Tuesday spurned the recommendation of the Columbus Historic Preservation Commission, voting to allow Main Street Presbyterian Church to demolish its old parsonage to make room for a parking lot.
The unanimous decision seems to have ended the church’s more than six-month standoff with the commission, during which the church unsuccessfully offered to sell the house for as little as $1 to anyone willing to relocate it.
Built in 1905, the house at 112 Seventh St. N. next to the church was once the parsonage and later the location for Life Choices Pregnancy Care Center. It’s been completely vacant for more than two years, and the church – which has about 200 members and only 21 parking spaces – wants to build a parking lot there that would also provide elderly and disabled members closer and more accessible entry to the sanctuary.
Since the house is in a city historic district, church representatives appeared in December before the Historic Preservation Commission to gain permission to tear it down. The commission issued a six-month stay for demolition, asking the church to find an alternative to demolition.
Those efforts failed.
When the stay expired in June, the church went back to the commission, which unanimously denied demolition outright. The church appealed that decision to the council, which sided with the church.
“It is their property, and I don’t think the government should be telling them what to do with their property, to be honest,” Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones said during the meeting. “… I’m all for history. I love history. But at the end of the day, it’s still their property. … They tried to give the building away for $1. They tried everything they could, from my understanding, to save the building, but no takers.”
Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens, who represents Ward 2, pressed Building Official Kenny Wiegel for the commission’s reason for denying demolition. He said since the house was historic and in reasonably good shape, commission members wanted to preserve it.
City Attorney Jeff Turnage said city ordinance gave the Historic Preservation Commission authority to issue the six-month stay. After that, “it has no more jurisdiction” to deny demolition.
Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene wasn’t quite convinced and asked Gordon Flowers, the attorney representing the church in the appeal, to help him decide.
“We have a Historic Preservation Commission there for a purpose so that we can restore these historical buildings from being torn down and making parking lots,” Greene said. “I’m very torn as to ‘Do you override the commission you’ve given this authority that unanimously decided this house is worth preserving?’ and also leaning toward the church’s right to do what they want with their own property.”
Flowers noted he agreed with Turnage’s interpretation of the city ordinance. Then he detailed the church’s efforts to work with the Historic Preservation Commission and save the home. That included directly contacting at least three people to see if they were interested in moving it, he said, and distributing notices in public that the home was for sale.
He even mentioned an April article in The Dispatch covering the issue.
“The church followed the rules,” Flowers said. “The church did what it was requested to do. … There’s a lot of money involved in trying to move a two-story brick house.”
Mayor Keith Gaskin and Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco also applauded the church’s due diligence during the six-month stay.
The explanations evidently moved Greene off the fence, and he voted along with his colleagues to allow demolition.
“That’s a longstanding right that we have: to use our property as we want to as long as we do it legally,” Flowers told the council.
Historic Preservation Commission Chair Barbara Bigelow was unavailable for comment Tuesday and referred The Dispatch to longtime member Joseph Boggess. Boggess did not respond to calls and messages for comment by press time.
Board appointments
The council Tuesday also appointed a member each to the Columbus Light and Water and Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau boards.
With a 4-0 vote, it chose local attorney Shane Tompkins to replace Micheal Tate on the CLW board, even though Tate, who has served 10 years on the board, applied for reappointment. Tompkins’ term will be five years.
Jones recused himself from the CLW vote, since his sister works for the utility. Ward 1 Councilwoman Ethel Stewart did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
The council, with a 5-0 vote, reappointed Liz Terry to a 3-year term on the CVB board. Terry currently serves as chair.
Retired marketing professional Bonita Smith also applied for the CVB spot.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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