The former Hartley dealership being bought by the city to be used as the new central garage area. PJ photo by Dennis Phillips
Another step was taken towards the city administration to create a central garage for vehicles and equipment.
On Tuesday, the City Planning Commission approved the site plan to convert the former Hartley dealership along Washington Street into a central city garage.
Jeff Lehman, the city’s public works director, said the city will renovate the main garage area and additional building area and add a storage shed to the property. He said several of the lighting fixtures will be removed because it is no longer a car dealership and the number of entrance aprons will be reduced to two. He added that the city’s current purchase of the property for $ 400,000 from Timothy Shults in the “Hands of lawyers”.
Last month, Jamestown City Council approved the purchase of most of the former Hartley dealership. Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the city proposed in 2019 to build a new building on Crescent Street at a cost of $ 4 million for the new central garage. However, he said the cost of building a new central garage has increased since the pandemic began “astronomic.”
Sundquist said city officials began investigating the former Hartley dealership and analyzing that renovating the property, which already has a maintenance garage, would be significantly cheaper than building a new one.
He said it would cost around $ 2.1 million to renovate the former dealership garage and buy the property.
Sundquist said the savings would be $ 1.9 million to renovate the former dealership compared to building a new central garage on Crescent Street. He said the state has pledged $ 1 million in grants to the city for the central garage, with funds being used to purchase the property at 1425-1505 Washington St.
Not all of Hartley’s former dealership will be sold to the city, Sundquist said. He said Shults is still looking for a buyer to develop part of the property.
On Tuesday, Lehman said a developer was interested in the property, which the city is not buying.
The commission also cleared the sale of land to Shawbucks owner Kurt Johnson for the new three-story deck he plans to build outside of his business on West Second Street across from the National Comedy Center. Lehman said the sale of the property shouldn’t affect the public utilities.
In June, the council first discussed that Johnson wanted to buy a 16-by-61-foot urban lot along West Second Street for the proposed three-story deck. In a letter to city officials, he said the deck would be used for additional outdoor seating for the restaurant and for downtown events. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, several block parties were held along West Second Street near the restaurant, such as during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.
Johnson said he plans to make space on the restaurant’s second floor for large parties, wedding receptions, and live entertainment. He also plans to develop the building’s third floor for smaller gatherings such as corporate meetings. He added that with the outside deck and new developments in the restaurant, he would create 15 additional jobs.
City officials valued the property at $ 1,000.
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source https://outdoorsportsnews.com/commission-approves-garage-site-plan-in-city-news-sports-jobs/
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