Downtown merchants, Garrett House owner urge MEDC to save historic Garrett (Rabbit) House
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Summary
Local business owners and the Garrett House shop owner appealed to the MEDC to preserve and relocate the historic Garrett (Rabbit) House; staff outlined rough estimates (~$55,000 move plus site work) and discussed leasing/redevelopment alternatives for relocating affected downtown businesses.
Several downtown business owners and the operator of the Garrett House told the Montgomery Economic Development Corporation on Jan. 20 they want the city to try to preserve and relocate the historic Garrett (Rabbit) House and to help relocate small businesses that face displacement.
Adele Hansen, who identified herself as owner of the Garrett House Antique Shop, described long-standing customer relationships and said the shop and 11 other downtown businesses face uncertain futures if property owner plans proceed without a relocation strategy. "We would like to stay there, but we can't," Hansen said, urging the board to help find alternatives for merchants.
Staff and board members discussed multiple options: moving the Garrett House across the street, leasing or repurposing a city-owned building at 213 Prairie for relocated shops, or creating a clustered retail area on the city-owned South Lot. Staff provided preliminary moving estimates — roughly $55,000 to relocate the house, about $8,000 for a slab with piers, and additional site and tree-moving costs — which produced planning figures in the neighborhood of $65,000 for initial relocation work. Staff cautioned that those figures were rough and that additional work (plumbing, ADA upgrades, fire code compliance and interior retrofitting) would increase total costs.
Board members said they want to preserve historic structures where feasible and directed staff to continue exploring options. Staff will seek written commitments from property owner(s) about timing and possible donation or sale terms, test the feasibility of fitting historic structures into the North or South Lot setbacks and work with the EDC/EDC leasing model to identify short-term locations for displaced retailers. The board did not adopt a final plan at the meeting but expressed consensus to pursue preservation and relocation options and to bring more detailed cost estimates and a timeline back to MEDC for decision.
