Effort seeks to prevent setbacks in Shelby firehouse revitalization
By David Jacobs
City Councilman Nathan Martin is renewing his request that legislation allow prospective buyers of Shelby’s historic firehouse to engage early with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, cautioning that failure to do so could negatively impact revitalization plans once a sale eventually occurs.
During the June 2 Shelby City Council meeting, when a second reading of legislation was being discussed, Martin once again raised concerns about how the city is handling certificate of appropriateness issues in the proposed sale of the vacant 1872 Main Street firehouse.
It marked the second consecutive meeting where he pushed for changes to ensure that interested parties can apply for and receive feedback involving proposed certificates of appropriateness before they own the building.
“I just think it would be helpful from a development standpoint to allow these things to happen before the purchase,” Martin said.
Martin suggested adjusted wording for Ordinance No. 11-2025 — currently under consideration — to allow “applicants” or "prospective buyers" rather than only potential owners.
He emphasized that the stakes are high for both the city and the buyer.
“I would much rather see someone pull out of a project before they’ve invested the money for the building itself” than the opposite, Martin said.
Officials described the COA process as complex, with issues ranging from acceptable materials, like whether a project could use steel or would be required to use brick, to more extensive exterior design considerations.
Martin also noted that relying on the current wording might lead to unnecessary obstacles.
“You don’t want to be in a situation where someone who wants to purchase the property is denied,” he said. “Something like ticky tack that City Council’s like, ‘I don’t think that’s a big issue,’ but they can’t even bring it up for an appeal because they’re not the property owner.”
Martin advocates valuable "front-end" input to avoid a COA being denied after the purchase has been completed.
"Maybe not always, but at least for this project, I think it would behoove everybody involved to be able to do that," he said. "I also think for prospective owners of other buildings downtown, this is a valuable thing to have in advance."
He described the importance of early guidance from the Historic Preservation Commission, helping buyers avoid entering a situation they later regret.
They may "get that input from the Historic Preservation Commission and be like, ‘No, I don’t want to purchase this building, that’s way more involved than I thought,’” Martin said.
The second reading of the ordinance formalized the city’s intent to sell the firehouse and designate the Shelby Community Improvement Corporation as the city’s agent for the sale. A third reading and final vote remain before the legislation can take effect.
Councilman Eric Cutlip sought clarity on issues, including whether the commission would need to know what a proposed buyer would want to do to the building as part of that.
Mayor Steve Schag later said the ordinance includes a six-month purchase window for potential buyers, but that extensions could be granted by council resolution if more time is needed.
“We did talk about that here at City Hall,” the mayor said. “Our economic development director, Ms. (Jessica) Gribben, with her real estate background, felt six months was enough time to keep projects moving," but extensions are possible.
Schag added that the city is considering requesting that the ordinance be passed as an emergency measure during the third reading to allow it to take effect immediately.
“People can really take a look at the building in and out and so forth,” he said, emphasizing the need to get the property on the market without delay.
The firehouse, on Main Street in Shelby’s downtown historic district, has been vacant in recent years, previously used by a private ambulance service and later as storage.
Officials hope a private sale can spur investment and lead to a meaningful reuse of the property.
City leaders view the sale as part of a broader downtown revitalization effort and are counting on private redevelopment to bring energy back to the landmark Shelby structure.
The final reading and vote on the ordinance are expected at an upcoming council meeting. Shelby City Law Director Gordon Eyster is being requested to review the legislation for any proposed wording changes, as Martin has suggested.
Earlier in the meeting, Councilman Cutlip reported from the Community & Economic Development Committee that he leads with a point of emphasis about the old 1872 Shelby firehouse that's on a path to private ownership.
"We wanted to highlight that the CIC is not buying the firehouse, and it is not being given to them," he said of Shelby's Community Improvement Corporation.
"They're just acting as a 'Realtor' in that scenario for the city,” he said in his remarks.
The proposed ordinance states: "The city reserves the right to review any and all submissions for purchase to the CIC; and further reserves the right to reject any offer submitted."
A CLOSER LOOK