Demolition plans worry east side property owners

The houses at 410 Lafayette, left, and 408 Lafayette St. are on a list of homes to possibly be demolished to make way for a public park or civic space near the East McCarty Greenway entrance.
The houses at 410 Lafayette, left, and 408 Lafayette St. are on a list of homes to possibly be demolished to make way for a public park or civic space near the East McCarty Greenway entrance.

Despite concerns from property owners along the Lafayette Street/U.S. 50 interchange about potential plans to make the area into a park or green space, Jefferson City Parks and Recreation officials said no such effort is taking place.

Jenny Smith, who owns property in the 600 block of East McCarty Street, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday she and 25 other property owners in the area oppose any such plans.

The area in question is bounded by East Miller Street, Lafayette Street and Marshall Street.

"Although many see this area as a slum or blighted, there has been much activity and improvements in the last seven years," she said. "But now property owners are unsure if they should continue with planned improvements."

Smith noted 12 properties in the area are owned by investors planning to make further improvements. All 25 property owners, she said, would lose their investments - amounting to $1 million-$2 million in collective loss - if the demolition process were allowed.

The City Council approved a measure in March directing the city administrator to halt the demolition process for properties owned by the city and Parks Department in this area. Three were in the 600 block of East McCarty Street, two in the 400 block of Lafayette Street and one in the 600 block of School Street. The freeze on demolition activity was to last three months. City officials said even if they restarted the process the day the moratorium ended, actual demolition of structures couldn't occur for several more months because of the specifics that need to be met.

Parks Commission President Brad Bates and Parks Director Todd Spalding told Wilson and other property owners at Tuesday's meeting they were waiting to hear from the city as to what was going to happen next with the Parks and city properties, and no plans have been developed by them for green or park space in the area.

The property owners' concerns date back to a February notice about an environmental review in regard to demolition of a city-owned property on Lafayette Street. Some residents in the area began to contact city officials to see if this signaled more such actions in the area.

That led to an informational meeting about the Central East Side Neighborhood Floodplain.

City officials said the notice went out for 408 Lafayette St. after receiving federal funding approval to proceed with demolition. Two nearby properties, 410 Lafayette St. and 623 School St., are owned by the Parks Department and were seen as next in line for the demolition process.

These properties have been deemed uninhabitable. Because they are in the floodplain and considered potential safety and health hazards, city officials cited the Central East Side Neighborhood Plan adopted in 2004, which called for converting several areas adjacent to the Wears Creek floodplain to open space to minimize property damage during floods.

A public park or civic space was recommended on the east end of the East High Street Business District.

Under the 2004 plan, the city would try to purchase properties as they became available, eventually looking to bring the properties down if they were in the floodplain.

After the inquiries about the demolition process, city staff stopped the process for 408 and 410 Lafayette St., as well as 623 School St.

Area property owners believe the city was inadvertently looking at demolishing properties that could be refurbished and put back on the tax rolls.

In 2012, FEMA made a revision to hazards on the 100-year floodplain, which raised base floor elevations of properties in the floodplain 2 feet from the last revisions in 2005, as the 2005 map was found to be inaccurate.

Smith and other property owners said they have appealed to FEMA to reverse the floodplain designation but to no avail. They noted the area never floods, not even in 1993.