As demolition starts on some of the West Union Street properties, owners look at plans to come.
When students return from summer break for the 2016 fall term, it might be the first time in a year and a half that they will have the option of living above West Union Street.
Owners of the properties, which burned down or suffered damage last year, said they expect the renovations to be finished by then, but they might have to work up until the last minute.
The cause of that fire “is still under investigation,” Bill Krugh, spokesman for the State Fire Marshall, said.
“Everybody was working very hard,” Guy Phillips, a managing partner at Housing Hotlink, who owned half of 14 W. Union St., said. “It does seem like it was slow getting started, but everyone was working on their plans and everything trying to get them together.”
Of the properties that suffered damage, only one, The Union Bar and Grille, 18 W. Union St., has begun construction.
The others have just now obtained their demolition permits, and are waiting on permits from the Department of Industrial Relations to begin construction, said Athens City Code Enforcement Director John Paszke.
Mike Myers, owner of Mike Myers Construction of Athens, which is in charge of the Union’s renovation, said that property should be ready by next semester.
Unlike the other buildings, The Union only lost its roof, which was redone in April.
Myers said after that, the interior of the building was gutted to meet modern code restrictions.
“We are over the hump, so we’re really close,” Myers said.
Sandy James, property manager at Housing Hotlink, said the company also bought 16 W. Union St. for $150,000, which formerly housed Kismet, and that they’re also working closely with Gary Hunter, who owns the other half of 14 W. Union St., to organize plans for their conjoined buildings.
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Renovations for those buildings, and the other buildings affected by the fire, are being designed by RVC Architects, an Athens architecture firm.
Phillips said those plans will have to adhere to specifications by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, since he applied for historic building tax credits.
Those credits became available in March, when city council registered the buildings as historic properties.
Phillips was the only building owner to apply for those credits.
He said overall, it has made the actual construction process more expensive, but he expects it to pay off in the long run.
The total cost of the building will be close to $1.8 million, which is slightly more than his original estimate.
“It’s much more costly, but it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’m hoping that those (tax credits) come through. It will go a long way to recoup on the cost.”
He said in spite of the added delay in applying for those credits, it has not slowed down the renovation process.
Because the buildings’ owners are coordinating their renovations to occur at the same time, he said he didn’t want to keep other property owners waiting for the credits.
“So far it has not held up anything,” he said. “But that was a great concern of ours because we all know it’s going to be close.”
Paszke said the city has had little to do with the construction, except for processing the applications for demolition and construction permits.
“It’s just a matter of getting everything squared away,” he said. “We’re trying to coordinate the best we can. They’re kind of keeping me posted weekly.”
But he said other than keeping the road blocked off and keeping up to date on the progress, there was not much for the city to do.
“The city is saying have at it, good luck and hope it goes well,” he said. “It’ll be tight.”
—Emily Bohatch contributed to this report.
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