Nitro City Council voted Tuesday against allowing the owner of the Tudor's Biscuit World and Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti House chains to turn a motel into apartments, but council members said they're willing to reconsider Oshel Craigo's request later and just want more information about it.
"I think every person who voted against passing that tonight is willing to revisit it," Councilwoman Laurie Elkins said. "We just had questions and there was no way for those questions to be answered tonight."
She said Nitro Recorder Rita Cox, a city planning commission member, was the only person at Tuesday's meeting who had information about Craigo's plan, and Elkins said the only detail she recalls being provided is that the bottom level of the motel would be used as storage while the top level would be apartments.
"We just wanted to make sure that it would be something that would add to the value of the city, rather than detract," Elkins said.
Cox said the closed motel, located next to a Tudor's at 4115 1st Ave., currently can't be turned into apartments because it's in a business zone, while apartments require residential zoning. She said all four planning commission members voted earlier this month to recommend that city council allow the conversion, but council decided against it 5-3 Tuesday.
She said herself, Bill Javins and Andy Shamblin voted for approval, while Elkins, Bill Racer, John Montgomery, Brenda Tyler and Al Walls voted against.
Cox didn't recall how many apartments Craigo wants to create at the motel, though she said the city's building inspector has said he can't put living quarters in certain areas of the building that are below the flood plain.
Also Tuesday, council:
n Approved using about $4,500 in hotel/motel tax revenue to pay for fireworks for the annual Nitro Boomtown Days celebration, Mayor Dave Casebolt said. Cox said rumors had been circulating that there wouldn't be fireworks, noting the local Convention and Visitors Bureau had said it wouldn't fund them because it spent $7,000 on an outdoor projector for the free movie nights it hosts on a soccer field next to the high school football field.
n Approved a motion to bring the city's ordinances up to date and, for the first time, post them online, Casebolt said.
n Approved increasing by between $4,300 and $4,600 the cost of the already roughly $200,000 library renovation project, according to Casebolt. He said the money will go toward extra work on the ceiling.
n Approved seeking bids to buy a new snow plow and public works vehicle, Cox said.
The city has also received three bids for consulting work for the celebration of its centennial, which is next year. The bids are being referred to the city's branding committee, which will recommend which consulting firm council should approve.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1254, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn, or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.