Properties can be rebuilt, mayor says

While demolition work was taking place Saturday, the fire began to kick up again, requiring firefighters to use more water. The city’s expensive lamppost appears unharmed.

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, local leaders hope the two buildings devastated by Saturday morning’s Main Street fire will rise again in the near future, perhaps even better than before.

‘We are going to do what we can to help the property owners recover from this loss,’ said Main Street director Chris Wilson, who ironically, along with Mayor Royce Davenport, was in Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday afternoon accepting an award from the National Main Street Association honoring the city’s work with the Google 3-D project. ‘With this loss, we hope there is also an opportunity for these owners to redevelop.’

Wilson pointed out there is program which can lend a hand for people who have suffered such losses in historical districts, the same program which helped the city of Jackson rebound from recent tornado damage.

According to McMinnville Mayor Royce Davenport, the Revenue Finance Board is one of the possible avenues of help as it offers a 10-year tax deferral to assist in reclaiming properties in districts such as historic downtown McMinnville.

While saying the city will support the redevelopment of the lost buildings, Mayor Davenport said city leaders will be meeting with the property owners to discuss how they and downtown will move forward. While the city will offer what support it can, the ultimate redevelopment will be at the decision of the property owners as to whether they sell or redevelop. Davenport also said the owners will likely be working with their insurance companies in the coming days and weeks regarding their insurance settlements.

‘We will be encouraging the owners to redevelop the lots damaged by the fire,’ Davenport said, noting that any redevelopment would have to be done under historic zoning rules.

Wilson said he foresees a ‘flurry of activity’ in redeveloping East Main given the fact some of the property owners affected, along with nearby East Main property owners of adjacent properties, had already announced their plans to go ahead with development projects this summer, even before Saturday’s fire. The ability to get tax deferrals for such work now through the Revenue Finance Board will likely help in that enterprise.

When Wilson and Davenport return to McMinnville they hope to meet with property owners to figure out the next step in redeveloping the damaged properties.