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Entrepreneur says downtown Batavia project stalled by contaminated sites, code violations and communication gaps
Summary
A local entrepreneur seeking to open a board-game restaurant in downtown Batavia told council she spent more than $100,000 on plans before abandoning three potential sites because of soil contamination, structural concerns and unclear city communications; council requested an itemized report and staff response.
Carrie Seibold told the Batavia City Council she and her husband spent more than $100,000 pursuing a board-game restaurant in downtown Batavia but were forced to abandon three potential locations after discovering contamination, deferred maintenance and complex utility configurations.
Seibold described three specific sites: 131 North Batavia Avenue (formerly with buried gas tanks and contaminated soil; estimated remediation $250,000 and at least 18 months), 21 North River Street (code violations, roofline and railing deterioration, shared utilities requiring new lines and service rerouting estimated at $420,000; structural concerns about a smokestack), and 335 North Water Street (previous petroleum distribution with up to six bulk storage tanks and soil contamination). She said contractors and an engineer advised substantial remediation and repair costs that made each site financially unviable for a small business.
Seibold detailed a pattern of communications she said caused further delay: she said her architect first photographed well monitors at 35 North Water Street, then received inconsistent responses from city staff. She said a document dated April 10 from City Administrator Laura Newman describing environmental issues at 24 North Water Street and nearby areas appeared on the city website, but that a FOIA response initially returned little or no information; later Seibold said she and her team received a 50-plus page FOIA response. She said a proposed grant discussion later included a possible incentive of up to $250,000 from TIF funds for 21 North River Street.
Council members asked Seibold to provide an itemized list of steps and documents; several council members said they wanted a staff response and suggested bringing the matter to Committee of the Whole for further review. City Administrator Laura Newman told the council she would respond to the concerns raised at the meeting and cautioned that downtown buildings are often historic and pre-date modern codes, which can make redevelopment costly. Councilmember comments indicated interest in contacting property owners about remediation and enforcement.
Why it matters: Seibold's account highlights potential barriers to downtown redevelopment in Batavia: environmental remediation, deferred code enforcement, utility reconfiguration costs, and inconsistent communications between developers and city staff. The council asked Seibold to send a written, itemized account and requested staff follow-up before a Committee of the Whole meeting.
Discussion vs. decision: The council did not adopt policy or spending decisions at the meeting. Directions recorded included a request that Seibold provide an itemized list to the full council and that staff prepare a response for Committee of the Whole.
