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Commission reports progress on five landmark nominations, firehouse MPDF procurement and redevelopment activity
Summary
Staff said three landmark nominations are before city council for ordinance drafting, two others were recommended to council by the planning commission, an RFP for a firehouse MPDF returned two strong applicants and consultant selection is pending, and the Redevelopment Authority reported nearly $1 million in housing rehabilitation activity and land bank acquisitions.
Staff updated the commission that five landmark nominations are moving through the city process. Three nominations — Menor Core, the Labor Temple and the South Erie Iron Works Company Building — are currently before city council, which has closed public hearings and asked City Legal to draft ordinances to change zoning so the properties could be declared city historic landmarks. Staff said they expect those processes to conclude within the next month when time permits on council’s agenda.
Two other nominations — the Foreman Block and the William & Mary Spencer House — were heard by the planning commission and received unanimous recommendations to send a positive recommendation to city council; those recommendations were transmitted to the city clerk for forthcoming council public hearings. One additional nomination that had been scheduled for this session was deferred to July at the applicant’s request.
On procurement, staff said the city issued an RFP for a consultant to prepare a multi‑property documentation form (MPDF) covering the city’s firehouses and received two strong applications; staff are adjudicating those responses and hope to select a consultant by next week. "Once we finish the adjudication process, select the consultants, we'll draft a contract that goes to city council to ratify to spend those funds," the staff member said.
A Redevelopment Authority representative briefed the commission on housing and blight mitigation work. "We have 56 properties that have either been completed or under contract and that totals up to almost a million dollars over the first part of 2026," the representative said. The authority also reported a recent substantial rehabilitation on West 26th Street that cost close to $90,000 and used federal lead hazard control funds and described taking deed to 17 properties through the land bank from a judicial tax sale to pursue rehabilitation and disposition.
No formal votes were recorded on these items at the meeting; the assembled business will return to future agendas or to city council as required by process.
