As the City of Wilmington posts a placard at 226 S. Front St. informing the public and the property’s owner that the historic house is unsafe for human occupancy, question marks hang above it.
Demolish the place? Save it for future generations?
The options delta. The city could take it over, renovate it and use it as office space. The city could also refresh it enough to attract interested, private buyers.
Whatever the answer, Wilmington City Council’s unanimous Tuesday night vote to post a no-occupancy notice on the property was meant to serve as the first step.
Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo was not present for Tuesday’s regular meeting.
One thing is for sure, though: the property’s owner, Mark S. Evans, hasn’t followed through on the city’s requests that he fix up the house, which neighbors and city officials complain is an eyesore in an otherwise comely area, surrounded by historic homes a block from the popular riverwalk downtown. Evans also owes the city for related public nuisance liens, citations, and $7,698 in back taxes.
According to the city, “The structure has been determined to be dilapidated based on a tax value of $149,948 and an estimated rehabilitation cost of $516,250” to meet codes.
To remedy the problem, city staffers have recommended demolition.
But City Council members like Laura Padgett don’t want to see it disappear. At Tuesday night’s council meeting Padgett called the late 19th century house a “piece of history” that should, one way or another, be restored. She also wondered aloud about an eminent domain seizure.
Historic Wilmington Foundation Executive Director George Edwards agreed the house’s removal would contribute to a “gap-toothed” Front Street.
Councilman Charlie Rivenbark, on the other hand, said he was “not interested at all” in rehabilitating the property under city ownership. If anything, he preferred sprucing it up for sale.
“Somebody needs to buy that property,” he said.
Locals may know the blue, two-story house as the former Taste of Country southern-cooking buffet.
Structurally, it’s a sound building, said Edwards, whose organization is trying to attract buyers to it. The asking price has dropped a few times over the past several months; currently it’s $375,000.
Anyone who does buy it may be eligible for renovation tax credits, said Edwards.
Contact Ben Brown at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
