Olympia’s historic preservation group says it was caught off guard by city’s plans for Ben Moore’s building

Many in Olympia were surprised this fall to hear city leaders were considering buying a building within the downtown historic district.

That includes members of the city’s heritage commission who review building projects within the historic district.

Back in September, the City Council authorized the purchase of 112 and 116 Fourth Ave. W — the former home of Ben Moore’s Restaurant & Pub and current home to Great Cuisine of India — for $950,000.

At the time, officials said the purchase would give the city control of half a block for a mixed-use development that could include a parking garage, housing, commercial or civic spaces.

But members of the heritage commission said they didn’t get a heads-up the city was looking at buying the building. They say they aren’t necessarily against redevelopment, but they also don’t know what the city’s plan is.

The building originally housed the Nankin Cafe that was run by a Chinese immigrant family, according to Michelle Sadlier, the city’s former historic preservation officer, and is on the block where Olympia’s Chinatown started in the 19th century.

The heritage commission met Wednesday to draft a letter to City Council detailing its concerns and planned to meet with council members soon to talk it over.

“We’re just seeing red flags and saying ‘Once you purchase this for the intended purposes you’re talking about, there’s going to be trouble,’” said Garner Miller, a member of the commission.

The city has not closed on the purchase, and City Manager Steve Hall said Wednesday the city is trying to extend the due diligence period before it decides whether to move forward.

“We’ve run into some serious problems on this one, so I can’t tell you it’s actually going to close,” he told the commission.

Hall said it was an “error” on the part of the city not to give members a heads up before the public announcement, noting real estate talks happen in a small circle to avoid word getting out and sale prices going up.

Members said in the future, they want to be involved in the process of purchasing buildings that fall under their purview before the deal is done.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 4:59 PM.