Commission approves demolition request for 350 East Broad Street after owners cite unsafe-building order

The Downtown Commission voted to approve a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the commercial building at 350 East Broad Street after the owner presented a May 2025 notice of unsafe building and evidence of vehicle impacts and vandalism.

City staff told commissioners the applicant had been before the commission previously (January 2022) and that new materials submitted for this hearing included a May 2025 unsafe-building order, a crash report showing vehicles struck the structure on two occasions, and photographs documenting building deterioration. Staff reminded the commission that the downtown district code requires approval of a replacement use or maintenance plan prior to issuance of a demolition permit.

Representatives of E.D. 2016 LLC — including the property’s facilities director — said the owner has held the property about 10 years and has repeatedly marketed it; brokers advised that the building’s condition and required environmental remediation were deterrents to developers. The owner reported damage estimates of roughly $100,000 to repair the crash-related foundation damage, and additional losses after vandals stripped copper pipe from the building, which the presenter estimated could add “a couple hundred thousand dollars” in replacement and repair costs. The presenter also said parts of the lower level had started to cave in and that mold was present.

Commissioners discussed the site’s constraints — a narrow parcel, proximity to state-owned property and an access drive — and reminded the owner that demolition without an identified redevelopment plan can create a streetscape gap. Several commissioners suggested the owner continue marketing with a clear redevelopment vision, consider volunteering to remove the structure only as part of a sale or as part of a redevelopment agreement with a purchaser, and improve site presentation (remove plywood, secure openings) to aid marketing. The owner said demolition was viewed as necessary to make the parcel salable and that the owner intends to re-list the site once demolition can proceed.

After discussion a motion to approve demolition (certificate of appropriateness) was made, seconded and adopted by the commission. Commissioners did not attach a required redevelopment plan in-place as a condition, but they encouraged the owner to pursue a redevelopment strategy and to return to the commission with a replacement plan as required for permitting.