by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Debris piled on one of downtown’s most visible corners has put two of the area’s aspiring historical developers at odds.
At issue is developer Kimmick Corp.’s use of an empty lot at the corner of Laura and Adams streets. The Lerner Building developer had an agreement with the Police and Fire Pension Fund, the lot’s manager, to store construction materials on the lot. But soon after that deal was made, piles of rusted scrap metal, dilapidated window frames and stacks of old tires began to appear, said Fund Administrator John Keane.
“They wanted to stage some structural steel over there, and we had an agreement to let them do that,” said Keane. “But pretty soon we started seeing junk and trash pile up. We’re not happy about that.”
The Fund took over the land in July when it signed an agreement with the City to develop three historic properties surrounding the lot. If the debris remains, the Fund could be cited and fined by the City for code violations, Keane said.
Keane promised a quick clean up and met with Kimmick representatives around noon Tuesday. By 2 p.m. workers were removing the stacks of tires with a forklift.
“Go out there and take a look tomorrow,” said Keane. “I’ll bet you it’s all gone.”
Kimmick’s leadership apologized and agreed immediately to move the debris, said Keane following the meeting.
Kimmick’s plans to turn 90-year-old, seven-floor building into loft apartments and retail space were enthusiastically supported by City officials, but some are now expressing frustration at the pace of construction and the obstruction it has caused to West Adams Street.
Council member Suzanne Jenkins said she’d received enough e-mail complaints about the development to prompt her own query to Al Battle, the managing director of the Downtown Development Authority.
“I basically just wanted to know what’s going on over there,” she said. “I want that project to be done right.”
Kimmick was one of the first to receive City money following the mayor’s 90-day moratorium on development incentives. The City gave Kimmick a $400,000 grant to help with the building’s renovation. Like City planners, Jenkins thinks the Lerner could help maintain the area’s development momentum. The building sits across West Adams Street from Vestcor’s Carlington project where the City loaned $17 million to the developer’s renovation of the former Roosevelt Hotel into loft apartments.
Construction on each juts into a lane of West Adams Street, choking westbound traffic into a single lane before widening as it approaches Laura Street. Jenkins said she empathized with her constituents frustrated by the traffic snags.
“I’m tired of that street being only one lane,” she said.