Five East Capitol Avenue properties acquired in an effort to fight blight in the area and sold to developers are making visible progress in their rehabilitation.
The homes are part of nine the Jefferson City Housing Authority acquired through eminent domain since 2019 as part of the East Capitol Avenue Urban Renewal Project.
The urban renewal area includes 116 pieces of property in downtown Jefferson City; up to 40 of them could be condemned through eminent domain as part of an effort to fight blight.
Local developer Holly Stitt, who purchased four properties in the 500 block of East Capitol Avenue, said one of her properties now has a renter.
Stitt purchased 501-513 E. Capitol Ave. and has since demolished the building at 511, which she said was too far damaged to be saved.
While the property next to it, 513, is still being worked on, Stitt said she has a tenant in the bottom floor apartment while her staff is still working on the upstairs apartment. The goal, she said, is to have the upstairs apartment ready to rent before the legislative session in January. However, she isn't confident it will get done before legislators return.
At the remaining two properties, 501 and 507, the staff is getting roofs on before winter hits, she said.
Across the street from Stitt's properties, Wendy Gladbach purchased 500 E. Capitol Ave., also known as Ivy Terrace.
Gladbach, who owns Ana Marie's Bridal downtown, plans to move her store into Ivy Terrace once its renovations are completed.
She said renovations have been slow, but they are still ongoing at the property.
"We get over there when we can," Gladbach said. "If it wasn't so expensive, we probably would have a contractor helping us. But with everything costing as much as it is, and the contractors are busy, too. It'll come together and one day, just bam it's done there's a light at the end of the tunnel."
The home has an HVAC system now, which means it'll be easier for the family, which is doing most of the work themselves, to make progress inside during the winter.
The addition on the back of the house is sealed so water no longer comes in, and the majority of the house has new windows, she said.
On the outside, Gladbach said, the focus is on getting fencing and a roof on the home's tower and replacing the siding.
"Hopefully sometime soon, weather dependent, the columns and railings will go up on the top of the tower in the next couple months," she said. "We won't be able to get the (tower) roof on yet, but we can get the columns and the railings up that's going to be an engineering feat to rebuild that tower and get it up there.
"We're looking at options on that," she said. "The crane operators are afraid of just putting the roof up. If they grab it wrong, it'll collapse. We may try and build it in place."
Down the pipeline, she's looking at replacing the porch, which presents its own challenge because the columns sit on the porch.
"We'll have to jack up one (column) at a time to replace the porch, put it back down and go to the next one," Gladbach said.