Commission approves demolition permit at 218 S. Second with condition to retain eastern facade unless structurally infeasible

The Livingston City Commission on March 20 granted an appeal of a Historic Preservation Commission decision and approved a demolition permit for the brick portion of the building at 218 South Second Street, with a condition: the east facade must be retained in place unless a structural engineer certifies retention is infeasible.

Background and the appeal At its February meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission had approved a version of the demolition permit with a condition requiring the applicant to save and incorporate the existing east facade into the new design and to return to the HPC if the facade could not be saved. City staff and the city attorney reviewed that wording and concluded the condition, as written, did not make the application "acceptable" under the municipal code because it left unresolved how…