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Council approves donation agreement for building on Snake River Avenue; city gains option to demolish or return structure
Summary
Lewiston City Council approved resolution 2026-17 to accept a donation offer from CHS Inc. of a vacant commercial building at 1200 Snake River Avenue, Building G. The city will assess whether demolition (within a three-year window) can lower project costs on the adjacent road reconstruction or whether retaining-wall construction remains the better option.
Lewiston City Council approved a donation agreement that would allow the city to take control of a vacant commercial structure at 1200 Snake River Avenue, Building G, offered by CHS Inc.
Public Works Director Justin Johnson told the council CHS has declined the building and "you can have it," and that the structure partially encroaches on the right-of-way for the ongoing Snake River Avenue reconstruction. The agreement gives the city a three-year window to demolish the structure; if demolition is more cost effective than constructing a retaining wall as currently planned, removing the building could reduce the project’s cost and free up Surface Transportation Program funds for other transportation needs.
City Attorney Jennifer Tangan explained the legal limits: the city could only abate the portion of the building that encroaches into the public right-of-way, and in practice "it's not really feasible to just kind of cut a building in half," which is why taking control of the whole structure is the practical option for demolition. She said the donation covers the structure only; the underlying private land would not be transferred to the city.
Councilors pressed on who would pay for demolition and whether the city would be improving private property. Councilor Wright summarized the concern: the city is being offered a building but not the land, so "if we're not knocking down the building, we're building a retaining wall for them, we're improving their property for them." City staff responded the agreement is structured so the city will pursue demolition only if it yields overall project savings; otherwise, the city can return the structure and continue with the retaining-wall design to avoid increasing project costs.
The council voted to approve resolution 2026-17. Next steps: the city will assess demolition versus retaining-wall costs and, if demolition proceeds, use the locked-in bid (paid through STP/grant funds) to perform the work; if demolition proves more expensive, the city will return the building to CHS and proceed with the originally planned retaining wall.
The council’s action does not change ownership of private land beneath the structure; the donation covers the physical structure only, and the city retains the option to revert the agreement if the project outcome would increase costs.
