Now an eyesore — 05/05/08

Sat, May 17 2008

— No one can accuse Ashland city officials of not being patient about the fate of the former Sears building at the corner of Winchester Avenue and 17th Street. For years, the six-story building — once a vital retail center in the heart of the central business district — has stood vacant and deteriorating while promises were made by owners Perry and Susan Madden to restore the structure.
On Thursday, the city lost patience. It moved to have the building condemned, the first step of what could lead to the building’s demolition. Or, in the best case scenario, the condemnation could speed up the building’s restoration.
Regardless of the eventual impact of the condemnation, we can find no fault with what the city has done. It gave the Maddens until March 1 to come up with definitive plans for the building, and when that deadline was missed, the city clearly had to do something more dramatic.
Like Mayor Steve Gilmore, we would prefer to see the building’s restoration instead of its demolition. After all, 30 years ago, Sears, the adjacent J.C. Penney’s, and Parson’s Department Store located just across 17th Street, were three major anchor stores in what was still a bustling downtown shopping district. Today, the J.C. Penney’s building has been torn down and is now a vacant lot, and the lower floors of the old Parson’s are now the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center with plans to renovate the upper floors for the Ashland Community and Technical College’s nursing program.
Meanwhile, instead of being an important part of a revitalized downtown Ashland, the Sears building is an eyesore that has become a sad reminder of when large crowds of people frequented the many downtown retail stores. Instead of promoting development downtown, it is a detriment to it. Who wants to be located so close to an eyesore? A vacant lot would be better than the status quo.
Greg Rice, director of planning and community development, admits that the city does not have the funds in its budget to demolish the building. In fact, placing a lien against the property could make it more difficult to sell and develop.
However, the city had to do something, and condemnation was the next logical step. Let’s hope it actually encourages development of what was once one of the busiest blocks in Ashland.