Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Preservation groups, city and developers reach agreement to save Anchor Lumberyard building
Summary
Victoria Preservation and city staff said they reached an agreement that allowed the historic Anchor Lumberyard (a Kai Lefflin structure) to be saved while the site moves forward with a Dollar General market and other redevelopment on the south side of Victoria.
Speakers from Victoria Preservation and the Victoria County Historical Commission told the council during citizens communications that the long-threatened Anchor Lumberyard building has been preserved while new development proceeded on the site.
James Wearden of Victoria Preservation said the group worked with city staff and the developer to save the building after the property sale to a Dollar General developer put the site at risk. "We were able to save that building," Wearden said, and he noted the project also yielded new grocery options on the south side.
John Griffin, a member of the Victoria County Historical Commission, said the saved structure is a Kai Lefflin design and praised the combination of private investment and public support: "We've saved a beautiful architectural specimen ... it is now a project everyone in this community can be proud of." Council members and staff credited the development director and the building official by name for helping negotiate the preservation outcome.
What was said and why it matters: Preservation advocates said the saved structure maintains a sense of place and that its repurposing for a commercial use was preferable to demolition. Council and staff involvement, they said, helped enable an outcome in which the developer built a DG Market and the historic building is slated for restoration and private reuse.
Ending: Advocates urged the council to keep preservation in mind for future projects and said interest exists from outside investors for other historic adaptive-reuse projects in Victoria.
