Council raises interest in county‑owned Wick Building as potential downtown asset; officials weigh options

Council members discussed the future of a county‑owned property referred to in meeting materials as the Wick (old WIC) building after an Urban County Policy Board report at the April 21 meeting.

Council Member Ferrer reported that the county board had listed three options for the property: retain and repair (staff cited an estimated minimum repair cost of about $1,700,000); transfer or sell the property to a nonprofit (a referenced proposal was to sell to Cimar for $1 subject to deed restrictions requiring continuation of certain social services for a period the presenter described as five years under HUD rules); or sell the building at market value. Council Member Ferrer said she had watched the county board discussion and believed the county had not finalized a decision.

Several council members expressed interest in keeping options open and in the city exploring whether the building could support downtown revitalization and parking needs. Ideas discussed included asking the county to offer the property at fair market value, pursuing a request for proposals, a community‑oriented redevelopment with retained social services, or a public‑private partnership. Council members asked staff to analyze feasibility and to consider a comparative market analysis (CMA) and potential partnership approaches.

Ending: Council did not vote or commit city funds. Staff indicated they can run initial feasibility steps (CMA and outreach to the county) and council members noted the importance of ensuring that services housed in the building could be relocated or retained as part of any transaction.