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Lorain board authorizes demolition of building next to Elks for parking; members discuss downtown preservation and parking needs
Summary
The Lorain Design Review Board learned the Elks plans to demolish an adjacent downtown building for parking and voted to authorize the demolition; members raised concerns about historic fabric, vacant buildings used for storage, and the need for parking and facade-preservation strategies.
The Lorain Design Review Board on April 8 recorded authorization to demolish a dilapidated building adjacent to the Elks lodge to create additional parking, after staff said the property owner had pulled demolition permits and completed asbestos assessment and abatement.
Board members and staff discussed the building’s condition, its status inside the city’s design-review district and the limits of local control. Board member Joyce and staff noted that while the structure is within the historic district, the National Register/State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) guidance indicates the city has limited ability to stop demolition when no local, state or federal funding is involved. Staff said asbestos assessment and abatement had been completed and that the contractor had pulled a demolition permit.
Members described the building as dilapidated and, in one comment, “a fire waiting to happen,” and said the removal would allow roughly eight parking spaces adjacent to the addressed corner—an outcome some members viewed as necessary to support downtown redevelopment. Several members urged the city to pursue stronger enforcement of registration and maintenance requirements for vacant commercial buildings, including recent amendments that the city submitted to increase registration fees and require property insurers to list the city as an additional insured.
The board voted to authorize demolition after a motion and second were recorded; the motion carried with no recorded opposition. Board members stressed that demolition did not mean the board or staff were abandoning preservation goals. Several members proposed exploring façade-retention approaches, incentives or parking-structure designs that preserve historic streetscapes while adding parking.
Staff said the site is not listed on the National Register as an individually listed building and that SHPO characterizes it as not highly significant architecturally even though it sits inside the registered district; nonetheless, members said the loss would create a visible gap in an otherwise intact block. The board asked staff to continue enforcement work on vacant properties and to coordinate with city council and the safety director on sweep/enforcement efforts already underway.
