by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
After trying unsuccessfully to sell to developers, the Churchwell Building’s owner has decided to take matters into his own hands. But Robert Pavelka’s plans to turn his 100-year-old Bay Street building into loft apartments will likely depend on the availability of parking.
City officials say they are still negotiating with Pavelka for a City-owned lot in the area. The City has targeted Bay Street for development of an entertainment corridor stretching bars and restaurants from the Landing to the Sports Complex. A lack of parking in the area has been aggravated by construction along Bay Street and the north sidewalk that has temporarily eliminated on-street spaces.
Parking won’t be as much of an issue for the bars and restaurants that City planners hope to bring to Bay Street. That’s because they should draw crowds in the evening and on weekends after workday commuters vacate. But parking would be an essential component to a residence like the Churchwell Lofts. And Pavelka is unlikely to move development forward without it.
The City turned down Pavelka’s initial offer to pay the assessed value for a City-owned property near his building. City Council member Suzanne Jenkins, whose district includes Bay Street, has helped Pavelka in his talks with the City. She said Pavelka had offered to allow City workers to park in the lot and promised to build a garage on the property when needed. The City has so far turned him down.
“They’ve said no so far,” said Jenkins. “It doesn’t really make sense to me. We don’t have to give him a dime to develop, it would put the property back on the tax rolls, and he’s said he’ll build a garage there, all of which goes along with what the City’s goals are downtown.”
The City is spending about $1.1 million to widen sidewalks, install historic lighting, resurface streets and landscape the stretch that will become the Bay Street Town Center. The City has also invested money from its Historic Preservation Trust Fund to renovate one Bay Street building and has made grants available to developers seeking to rebuild their buildings’ facades.
If the City could reach a deal with Pavelka, it would be a logical extension of its focus on Bay Street, said Jenkins.
“Either we’re a partner on Bay Street or we’re not,” she said. “Why wouldn’t we work with him? You can work anything out.”
Pavelka’s attempt to sell the building fell through in May, when nightclub developer Bob Green backed out. Green said he dropped his bid to move into Bay Street because Pavelka’s asking price was too high. Even with City grant funding, Green said the asking price would have forced him to to sell the lofts at 20 to 25 percent above downtown market rates.