La Grange council approves donation strategy for deteriorating downtown building
The La Grange Town Council voted 4-1 Monday night to move forward with a voluntary parcel donation strategy for a deteriorating downtown building at 104 S. Caswell St. and 101 and 103 W. Railroad St., a prominent corner property that town officials say poses an ongoing public safety hazard. Mayor Pro Tem Larry Gladney was absent. Councilman Rouse cast the lone dissenting vote.
The building, a two-story commercial brick structure built in 1916, sits on three parcels owned by Change 4 La Grange. The parcels have a combined assessed value of about $28,455 and total roughly 3,540 square feet. Town staff said the structure shows visible wall instability, failing mortar joints, compromised openings and significant deterioration.
Council’s action authorizes staff to proceed with accepting the donated parcels from Change 4 La Grange, which town officials said would allow the town to gain control of the property more quickly than a formal unsafe-building enforcement process. Officials said that faster path could help the town address the hazard sooner while also improving its eligibility for rehabilitation grant funding.
“Safety is our first priority, but so is protecting the revitalization momentum we’ve built in our downtown,” Town Manager Shawn Condon said. “This building sits at one of the most prominent corners in La Grange, and in its current condition it is both a hazard and a source of blight we cannot ignore.”
Condon said the town would prefer to restore the structure if that proves feasible.
“Our preference is to restore it and see it become an attractive cornerstone of our downtown again, not to demolish it,” Condon said. “Accepting the donation gives us ownership and control of the property much faster, which not only allows us to act more quickly to eliminate the safety hazard, but also significantly expands our grant eligibility for rehabilitation.”
The discussion included concerns from Rouse about whether Change 4 La Grange has the financial capacity to repair the building or cover demolition costs if the town were to bill those expenses back. Council also discussed the possibility of identifying grants that could help rehabilitate the structure or at least stabilize it enough to make it structurally sound.
Condon said staff will now examine the building’s condition, estimate what it would cost to make the structure sound and compare that with demolition costs before determining the best course of action. Preliminary demolition estimates range from about $80,000 to $120,000, though the actual cost would be determined through a formal bid process.
“The ideal outcome would be to maintain the structure if at all possible,” Condon said, but he noted that decision will depend on a direct comparison between stabilization costs and demolition costs.
