No decision yet on Geneva’s old blacksmith shop

GENEVA – The fate of the circa 1843 limestone blacksmith shop at the former Mill Race property in Geneva will be decided next month, the Historic Preservation Commission decided July 18.

The structure is located at 4 E. State St.

The Shodeen Family Foundation is seeking a de-designation of the blacksmith shop’s historic landmark status and permission to demolish it.

“Deliberation will not occur this evening,” Chairman Paul Zellmer said. “We have other business pending before the commission. … Should the commission choose to close the public hearing this evening, deliberation on this matter will occur on the next scheduled meeting on Aug. 15 as a full complement of commissioners is anticipated.”

Commissioner Don Hartman was absent.

The public hearing began in January and was continued in March, April, May and June.

Demolition of a historic property is a last resort if the owner has no alternatives – an issue disputed between David Patzelt, representing the Shodeen Family Foundation, and preservationists who testified earlier.

For more than an hour, proponents of preservation called for the blacksmith shop to be saved – Geneva resident Colin Campbell, Kendra Parzen, advocacy manager for Landmarks Illinois, and Al Watts of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley among them.

“This developer has a history of being able to turn absolute wrecks into marvelous buildings,” Campbell said, showing slides of developer Shodeen Inc.’s successful rehabilitation of historic structures.

Campbell also showed a March 26, 2014, published news release from Shodeen Inc. about the purchase of the former Mill Race property: “Regardless of the final use, we are committed to preserving the historical integrity of the site by incorporating the blacksmith portion of the current building with its historical significance into the planning process.”

“The developer can change his mind. That’s not the problem,” Campbell said.

Regarding property rights, Campbell said an owner of a property should have the right to do what they want with the property.

“But, of course, the city has rights, too,” Campbell said. “The city in which that property exists has rights about what can and cannot be done with [the] property. … They took the business risk knowing full well that they might be required by the city or denied the ability to demolish the building by the city. … They took the obligation and they need to live with it.”

Patzelt said the city’s consultants said the project would need an infusion of cash from a tax increment finance district in a public-private partnership to make saving the blacksmith shop possible.

Consultants Teska Associates and The Planera Group determined it would take $1.7 million in TIF money to make the project work, according to testimony at earlier hearings.

A tax increment financing district – or TIF – is a development tool local governments use to encourage development or redevelopment in blighted areas that would be too expensive to improve with private dollars alone.

In multiple emails and conversations with staff, Patzelt said he could not get city financial support through a TIF because the demolition permit was pending.

If Shodeen decides not to pursue its demolition request, the company cannot seek another demolition permit for a year, said attorney Kate McCracken, representing the Shodeen Family Foundation.

While a demolition permit is pending, no TIF money can be offered.

McCracken called it the chicken or the egg.

“The practical reality is the owner has virtually no control over what can be done with this property,” McCracken said.

“All feasible alternatives over a five-year period have clearly been exhausted,” McCracken said, referring to the city’s consultants. “This can be developed, but it can only be developed in the event a public-private partnership is established. Right now, it’s just us. There’s been no TIF consideration. As far as we know, there is no availability of TIF funds. … There is nothing on the table.”

Zellmer said the property owners put the demolition request on the table, requiring the city and the commission to work its way through the process.

If the Shodeen Family Foundation does not agree with the commission’s decision next month, it can appeal to the City Council to overturn it.