Tuesday, April 20, 1999
Some fear for Lebanon's old buildings
BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — A proposed amendment to one of the city's historic preservation ordinances would alter only a few words, but the change would pack a powerful punch, residents and business owners said.
While the current ordinance allows demolition of a building if it is “consistent with plans or policies adopted by the Lebanon City Council,” the amendment says the city could make the call.
That would give the city manager greater latitude, residents said. And it means a historic home at 5-7 Cherry St. could be demolished whether or not a consultant recommends such action in a downtown master plan.
“The amendment is pretty powerful,” said Alexandra Reynolds, a planning commission member who opposes the measure. “It jeopardizes anybody's house in town, because one person could say your house has to come down.”
Council and downtown merchants are battling over the future of a block in the Central Business District. Merchants say they fear council isn't committed to preserving the historic character of the downtown, a primary draw for about a million tourists each year.
The block, bordered by Main, Mulberry, Mechanic and Cherry streets, is one of the few areas of downtown with open space. Its redevelopment is to be a key component of a downtown master plan being developed by a Lexington, Ky., consultant, Brandstetter-Carroll Inc., for $37,000. The report should be released in about four months.
Council members have said they're waiting to receive the recommendations before making a decision on what to do with the block.
But merchants said council's recent actions indicate otherwise. Council agreed in February to purchase the 5-7 Cherry St. property for $150,000, nearly three times the last selling price, in 1992.
Further, the planning commission tonight will discuss a request by Acting City Manager C. Ed Patterson to demolish the house at 5-7 Cherry St. At the same time, the commission is expected to make a recommendation on the measure to change the demolition process.
Council would make the ultimate decision whether to adopt the proposed amendment.
Planning Commission President Dean Wiethe and Mr. Patterson did not return calls Monday.
The ordinance, adopted in 1990, sets strict guidelines on the process of demolishing a property in a designated Architectural Review District such as the Central Business District. Its purpose then was to preserve the historical character of Lebanon and to discourage demolition of older homes.
The amendment would do just the opposite, said downtown business owner Joan Townsend. It clears the path to more demolitions, she said.
“It seems that the amendment very much weakens the procedures for demolition in the Architectural Review District,” Ms. Townsend said. “What they're proposing is that city council doesn't have to have an adopted plan. The city manager can just have a plan and rip things down without council approval.”
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