We applaud one line item in the proposed Ashland city budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1: $235,000 for the demolition of the former Sears building at the corner of 17th Street and Winchester Avenue. To be sure, that’s a lot of money but we see no other viable way to eliminate what has become a glaring eyesore in the heart of downtown than for the city to invest the money to do the job. In addition the city will place a lien on the property to protect its investment.
It was just a few years ago that the six-story building was seen as a centerpiece to downtown revitalization. Owners Perry and Susan Madden, who also own the restored former Henry Clay Hotel on the some block, had ambitious plans to continue the redevelopment of the block by converting the old Sears building into apartments and building new apartments on the site of the former J.C. Penney building. Both the state and the Ashland Board of City Commissioners supported those plans.
For a variety of reasons, the plans never got much past the talking stage. To be sure, the buildings that housed Penney’s were leveled, and siding was removed from the old Sears building. But that’s as far as the plans got, and a year ago, the city condemned the deteriorating and increasingly unsafe Sears building.
The Sears building now is seen as a major obstacle to downtown revitalization.
There is no guarantee removal of the eyesore will lead to development of the block, but it’s certain that nothing will happen as long as the building remains. The city’s investment in its demolition is a wise one.
