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Council declines incentives and temporary lease for JP Connell House; motion to endorse committee recommendation passes
Summary
After lengthy debate over feasibility and cost, city staff and the Planning & Parks Committee advised against an incentive package and a temporary 90-day lease to stabilize the JP Connell House; council endorsed the committee recommendation and the motion passed with one opposed.
City staff told the council that the JP Connell House and its 14-acre site have been under review since January and that a structural engineer found the house salvageable, but no developer-backed incentive package was endorsed by the Planning & Parks Committee.
Director Gunich said the committee did not support incentives—partly because the site sits in a nonurban residential area intended for large-lot single-family homes—and recommended against the city undertaking a temporary lease to stabilize the asset. Council members debated alternatives including purchase or condemnation, questioned probable stabilization and renovation costs, and weighed those against park maintenance priorities. Council member Marshall moved to endorse the committee’s recommendation and have staff relay that decision to the property owner; the motion was seconded and passed after one council member voiced opposition.
Several council members said preserving historic assets is important in principle but noted budget constraints and uncertain costs. Director Gunich said acquisition could work if the city was willing to pay the owner’s requested price, but that most of the city’s recent acquisitions have been floodplain buyouts rather than historic-preservation purchases.
