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Council discusses downtown demolition, stormwater work and possible sewer-line diversion through vacant building
Summary
City staff said the administration is pursuing demo funds and exploring using a downtown building corridor to reroute a failing galvanized sanitary/storm line; county land‑bank and grant options are being pursued.
City staff told the finance and legislation committee that the administration is seeking additional funding and county assistance to remove a downtown commercial building and correct a failing utility line that runs beneath it.
Why it matters: The structure discussed (identified in the meeting by staff as the Los Gatos/Los Angeles building downtown) sits over a deteriorating galvanized storm/sanitary line that staff said appears to be collapsing. That line presents a maintenance problem that the city needs to correct to address drainage and structural risk in the downtown area.
What staff described: The administration said it is pursuing multiple avenues for demo funds, including discussions with the county land bank and grant applications to cover demolition costs for the commercial building. Staff said one earlier cost estimate for demolition was about $70,000 from a couple years ago and that current costs are “over” $100,000; additional stormwater and sewer work tied to the site could push costs higher. City staff said they have a meeting scheduled with Deb Flora and Ian Bennison from the land bank to seek assistance or future placement for funding.
Technical option under review: staff described a possible plan to divert the problematic line and route it down through the downtown building footprint so that work on the stormwater correction could proceed; staff said stormwater funds might be used if the diversion supports a required stormwater project. The administration emphasized it was exploring the avenue, not committing to a final approach, and said engineering estimates and further review will take another month or two.
Other constraints: staff said the building is large, adjacent to other structures, and would not be suitable for controlled burn training; asbestos testing was reported as completed and found no asbestos. Staff also noted the project has ancillary costs beyond demolition such as title searches, abatement (if required), and utility work. The city may seek county or grant partners and said it had tried prior county avenues without success.
Next steps: staff will have engineering estimates and further options in the coming weeks and will return to council with cost estimates and recommended approach.
