The Jefferson City Housing Authority is continuing the process of the East Capitol Avenue Urban Renewal Plan.
Housing Authority board members agreed Tuesday to work with one property owner, James Cain at 610 E. State St., for more time to complete work. This was identified as a non-owner-occupied property.
Cain said he and his family bought the property, built in 1847, and intend to return it to its original condition. He said the property had been vacant for 30 years, and since they bought it, they have put on a new roof, replaced the ceiling, redid wiring as well as replaced paneling. Cain said he'd like to complete the exterior work first so it's more aesthetically pleasing. He thought that could be accomplished by December.
The Housing Authority board asked Cain to give them a timeline so the board could monitor his progress.
Last month, the board sent letters to four owner-occupied properties in the urban renewal area. Three are located on East Capitol Avenue, and one is on East State Street.
The letters identified what must be corrected after city and Housing Authority inspectors did external inspections of the properties. The letters also gave a timeline for completion.
The board decided to give owners who agree to the terms six months to take care of the issues, such as trash in the yard or painting external walls.
As of Tuesday's meeting, Housing Authority Executive Director Cynthia Quetsch said she had only heard from the East State Street property owner who had sent back the letter signed and agreeing to the terms. She said she would make efforts to contact the owners of the three East Capitol properties.
Most of the remaining properties within the 33-acre downtown neighborhood - 48 in all - are not owner-occupied. This includes vacant and tenant-occupied properties, as well as some vacant lots.
For these, the board said, property owners who want to enter a contract would have to complete work in eight months, start the work within two to three months of signing the contract, agree to progress checks and obtain proper permits.
The three remaining properties are commercial, and Housing Authority staff will come back with recommendations for timelines for owners to complete improvements. Those properties are in the 100 block of Lafayette Street, the Shyrock/Hurst warehouse in the 500 block of East State Street and the Buescher Funeral Home in the 400 block of East Capitol Avenue.
In a closed session, the board also reviewed appraisal results for seven properties in the urban renewal area. Quetsch said she could not share the results.
These buildings were named as priority properties for urban renewal through a public forum, city staff recommendations and Housing Authority board review.
The first five - 103 Jackson St., 105 Jackson St., 108 Jackson St., 500 E. Capitol Ave. and 401 E. Capitol Ave. - received the most votes from the public in regard to their historic value.
Two more- 101 Jackson St. and 501 E. Capitol Ave. - were added later at the suggestion of city staff.
Quetsch noted the Housing Authority is not interested in holding onto properties. So any property acquired through this process must also have strong potential to be privately purchased and revitalized, she said.