A divided City Council ultimately approved a bill's committee substitute Monday night that could force purchasers of historic buildings to wait up to nine months to demolish them.
The bill, introduced and championed by City Council President Tom Lane, gives the Charleston Historic Landmarks Commission the authority to impose up to three, 90-day stays of demolition of a historic building, on the condition that community members can prove that substantial efforts are being made to find an alternative to demolition.
Some members of Council felt the 270-day maximum stay is excessive and would deter potential development.
"So if I'm a private property owner, and it happens to be a historical landmark, that's going to halt a real estate transaction until it goes through this process?" Councilwoman Shannon Snodgrass asked.
"It could," Lane replied.
Councilman Bobby Reishman said the committee substitute "sounded like taking someone's property...after 270 days, your buyer is long gone."
He also pointed out that if the Historic Landmarks Commission hypothetically postponed a demolition for nine months and no alternative was developed by community members, the property owner would not be compensated for the time lost.
Lane tried to clarify the bill's provisions.
"Any delay is only when someone raises the issue. If someone owns a historic property, we're simply imposing some effort to preserve that history," he said. "In doing that, you have to convince the Historic Landmarks Commission there is a possibility for alternate use - it's not automatic that it will go to 270 days."
The bill ultimately passed on a 15-9 vote.
Council members Bobby Reishman, Richard Burka, Archie Chestnut, Jack Harrison, Chuck Overstreet, Bernard Slater, Cubert Smith, Shannon Snodgrass and Mayor Danny Jones voted in opposition.
"I think when you've held somebody's property up for 270 days, you have to compensate them," Jones said.
During City Council's Finance Committee Meeting on Monday, representatives from two real estate and hospitality firms proposed their idea to enter into a long-term lease with the city to build a hotel on the existing Morris Street parking lot next to Appalachian Power Park.
"It won't be any more than 80 rooms because of parking restrictions," said Randy Miller, from Centurion Hospitality.
Miller and Martin Perry, a broker with Pittsburgh-based Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, said the 40- to 50-year lease agreement would also include renovations to the adjacent Smith Street parking lot to accommodate those who currently park in the Morris Street lot.
"It hits the city's goal of developing around the ballpark," Miller said.
The project would cost roughly $20 million.
City Council won't make any decisions on the proposal for at least another month, City Manager David Molgaard said.
Also on Monday, Council voted to:
n Approve a bill permitting tattoo and piercing studios as a conditional use in the East End's corridor village district
n Rezone Charleston Catholic High School from a residential office district to a central business district
n Repeal a 1980 bill relating to a two-hour tow away parking zone on the western side of Bradford Street between Quarrier Street and Buford Alley
n Approve a bill to install a stop sign on the northeast corner of the intersection at Sunset Drive at Hinton Terrace
n Approve the FY 2016-17 parking system budget
n Approve an agreement with West Virginia Paving, Inc. for the city's 2016 street paving project in the amount of $1.7 million
n Submit an application to the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office for roughly $3,250 to cover overtime costs for city officers providing extra security for area proms and graduations
n Approve an independent contractor agreement with Kim Mitchell for services related to the city's Drug Market Intervention Project
n Accept a conservation and hiking trail easement in the Hampton Heights addition
n Approve an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for $200,000 to purchase bunker gear equipment. A 10-percent match is required from the city.
n Approved a bid submitted by Advantage Technology for $98,750 to purchase servers and software to replace and upgrade the city's email system.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.