LITTLE ROCK — The owners of the former Job Corps building on Vance Street in Little Rock boarded up and secured the windows and doors over the weekend, delaying a request from neighbors to tear down the structure they call an unsafe eyesore.
City Manager Bruce Moore said during a city directors meeting Tuesday that representatives of owner Remi Enterprises Inc. of San Antonio, have talked about turning the building into an apartment complex, but have not submitted formal plans for approval. The group bought the building from the General Services Administration in 2010 for about $850,000.
The Pettaway Park Neighborhood Association met last month to discuss the eightstory building that was once in line to become a day resource center for the homeless. The association made an official request that the city move forward with tearing it down because of safety concerns with broken windows and asbestos.
Mayor Mark Stodola asked code enforcement officials to request that the owners clean up the parking areas and landscaping around the building to make it more presentable for neighbors. He also requested information on the plan to turn the building into an apartment complex and the procedure for possibly seeking a condemnation in the future.
“I’ve asked for estimates on demolition costs. The city has never demolished a building of this size,” he said. “I’ve also asked that we be updated on the progress and to see the conceptual framework for their plan.”
Ward 1 City Director Erma Hendrix said she was not satisfied with the board’s response to complaints about the building, and that she expected support when the time came to ask for it to be torn down.
“This building would not exist in west Little Rock,” she said.
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 02/01/2012