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Summerville council approves first reading to remove 500 North Main from historic district after heated public comment
Summary
After hours of public testimony both for and against, the Summerville Town Council voted to approve first reading of an ordinance removing 500 North Main from the town’s historic district. Preservation advocates urged the council to keep the WPA-era hospital protected; developers said a revised plan will preserve key features and add a public park and boutique hotel.
The Summerville Town Council on July 10 approved first reading of an ordinance to remove 500 North Main Street from the town’s historic district, setting a path for redevelopment after extended public comment from residents, preservationists and developers.
Preservation advocates urged the council to keep the site protected. “I speak against removal of the old hospital from the historic district,” said Harold Hudson, president of the Somerville Preservation Society, noting the building’s WPA-era construction and the group’s long effort to include the property in the district. Hudson warned removal would be “tantamount to demolition” of an important local landmark.
Developers and some business leaders pushed back, saying the earlier high-density proposal had been substantially revised and that a sensitive redevelopment could deliver public benefits. Jason Ward, representing the development team, described changes he said were made after community feedback: “The 160 units that had been planned of apartments multifamily have been removed, and that has been replaced with a 100-key boutique hotel,” he said, and added that restrictive covenants would preserve the two‑story portion of the historic hospital and portions of the facade.
Councilmembers debated the balance between preservation and redevelopment. Supporters of first reading said the county’s deed restrictions and developer commitments preserve core architectural features while enabling a public park, a veterans monument area and new retail and hospitality uses that could increase downtown foot traffic. Opponents said removing the property from the historic district eliminates BAR oversight and risks greater demolition later.
The mayor noted the project will next go to the planning commission in August and returned to council for a second reading likely in September. Council members emphasized the commercial design review board will still review design details if the property is removed from the historic district and incorporated under the proposed development review process.
What happens next: The ordinance cleared first reading and will be considered by the planning commission; council scheduled no final vote tonight. Public commenters and preservation advocates were advised to file comments with the planning commission ahead of that meeting.
