Two buildings demolished in Fifth Street revitalization project

Click here to read the Fifth Street Community Development Corp.'s letter concerning the demolition on Fifth Street

Click here to read the Lynchburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority's response

Demolition crews are tearing down two Fifth Street buildings, a move designed to attract new development but opposed by corridor advocates.

The Lynchburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority hopes to trigger a major revitalization of the 700 block of Fifth Street, the bulk of which belongs to the authority.

Officials elected to tear down the buildings after determining they were too dilapidated to save. The board of housing commissioners approved the demolition contract last week and work began Friday — despite objections from the Fifth Street Community Development Corp., a citizens group formed to advocate for the goals of the Fifth Street master plan.

Leaders of the advocacy group asked the authority to reconsider its decision, saying it ran counter to the vision of the 2006 master plan.

“Buildings, restaurants and retail are very vital to what we’re trying to accomplish here … to what our vision is for the future of Fifth Street,” said Carri Sickmen, president of the group.

The master plan, the guiding document for ongoing Fifth Street revitalization efforts, supports dense development; it calls vacant lots “dead” spaces that detract from the area’s vitality.

The housing authority, which contributed to the master plan’s development, says the two buildings are unsafe and past proposals from developers have called for replacing one or both structures with new buildings.

The building at 707 Fifth St. — once the 707 Nightclub — came down Monday. Officials expect 711 Fifth St., formerly Lawrence Market, could be demolished later this week.

The authority has said it would prefer to see new construction on both sites one day, but adds any future plans would depend on developers.

The housing authority owns six of the nine buildings on the block. All are empty and in varying states of disrepair. They range in age from 38 to 124 years. Housing commissioners have committed to saving the oldest buildings.

The two buildings being razed now date back to 1922 and 1936, but are not considered to be of historical or architectural significance. The plain white structures were deemed to be in the worst condition of the lot, and officials said recent rains and faulty roofs are exacerbating deterioration.

Housing commissioners voted during a meeting last Wednesday to tear them down, following months of discussion about the future of the block.

The demolition contract was given to W.E.L. Inc. of Concord for about $19,000. The money was taken from an authority fund earmarked for special projects.

Sickmen, who also owns the Starlight Café on Fifth Street, said she is concerned about having “missing teeth” on the corridor and hopes new buildings will be brought to the sites.

Her group has asked that a housing authority representative begin attending its meeting to improve communication between the two bodies; the housing authority has expressed a willingness to do so.

During its deliberations, the authority did talk with the Fifth Street group, as well as city officials, a planning commissioner who lives in the area and the Garland Hill Neighborhood Association.

Frances Calhoun, a member of the neighborhood association, said they had no objections to the project. “They (the buildings) are not historically significant to the area, so we didn’t get excited,” she said.

The housing authority feels getting rid of the buildings will clean up the block and make it more attractive to potential developers, particularly when combined with the corridor’s ongoing streetscape work.

The 700 block is currently shut off to traffic as work on phase one of the master plan takes place. It includes new utility lines and sidewalks and a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Federal and Fifth streets.

The Board of Housing Commissioners felt it was important to complete the demolition before the road was reopened. Once all work is complete, officials plan to begin courting developers.

“Quite frankly, we were disappointed with the response before,” said board Chairman Joe Seiffert, referring to an earlier request for proposals that drew one proposal and one letter of interest. “We want to see what else is out there.”

“Hopefully (when current construction is finished), the property will be more inviting and more people will be asking, ‘What can we do with this?’ ”

The housing authority issued a request for development proposals in December. The Lynchburg Neighborhood Development Foundation, a nonprofit that deals in revitalization and rehabilitation projects, returned the only proposal, offering to buy all of the properties for $100,000. The group expected it would then spend $8 million restoring the block as a mix of residential and commercial space.

The plans included demolishing and replacing the building at 711 Fifth St., although they anticipated 707 Fifth St. could be salvaged.

A local realtor’s office also submitted a letter of interest in the property, but later withdrew. The tentative proposal that had been outlined called for demolishing both 707 and 711 Fifth St.

The housing commissioners rejected the LNDF proposal. Seiffert said the authority needed to see a “wider variety of interest” in order to make the best choice.

A second request for proposals could be issued as early as this fall.