Some History on Front Street Lots

Two vacant lots on the Tepper's block are now the proposed site for an adult day care facility, but in 2007 developer Clay Bonny had received approvals to put 12 condos on the lots. After he dropped that plan, the lots were transformed with volunteer labor into a pocket park for a time.

To read a Plaintalker post on Bonny's Heartstone project, click here.

As noted in this post, there had been a historic music hall, later a theater, on the site. After the city took ownership of the building, the roof collapsed and fell through lower floors, causing the need for it to be demolished. The city later contracted with Oliver Brown's company to clear the site.

Developer Frank Cretella had projected his proposal for the site as offices and retail uses, although the adult day care center was outlined in documents submitted in 2009. Now the adult day care center appears to be the most viable aspect of the project.

There used to be a lot of talk about the "highest and best use" of property in the central business district. The Tepper's building was slated to be 75 luxury condos for active seniors until it switched to moderate income apartments due to financing issues. An adult medical day care center is a permitted use, but whether it is the highest and best use for new construction downtown is debatable.

As on the Dornoch site, the city has spent money to prepare the Front Street site for development. Will it be turned over to the developer for a token fee? Now that Cretella's seven projects are the only development on the horizon, it may well be that the city will be generous again.

--Bernice

 

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