Jefferson City residents voice concerns with plans to demolish two century-old homes in floodplain

UPDATE: The Jefferson City Council voted to pause the demolition process on the homes for a period of three months.

This comes after several property owners voiced concerns with the city’s Central East Side Neighborhood Plan to acquire properties in the floodplain over time and turn the area into a green space.

The city will review its plan as the council instructs once the three months comes to an end.

ORIGINAL: Some Jefferson City residents are voicing concern with the city’s plan to demolish two century-old homes near the Lafayette Street Interchange.

The two homes, 410 Lafayette Street and 623 School Street, are in a FEMA designated floodplain, which means they are located in a low-lying area along Wears Creek and have the potential to flood.

The city is working to acquire about 20 homes in the area overtime. It is part of the Central East Side Neighborhood Plan to turn the floodplain area into parks or green space.

Parks and Recreation recently bought the two properties. The department plans to demolish the properties with the help of federal funds because of their location in a floodplain.

Both homes were built in the late 1800s, according to city records from the 1990s.

But the two buildings have been vacant for several years. A city housing inspector determined it would cost about $55,000-60,000 to repair each to a livable condition.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission met Tuesday to review the two properties as part of an environmental review process to get the federal funds.

The commission voted there is limited information to determine if historic properties will be affected by the project.

But some residents believe the homes could have been a part of the area important to local African-American culture near Lincoln University in the early 1900s.

“The two homes could have been part of The Foot, which is already gone, and we only have its history verbally,” Cole County resident Janet Maurer said. “And then also, just because they’re older homes and like to see families back in the homes and maybe a small business and keep this district alive as historical as we can.”

After the environmental review is completed, the commission must review the demolition applications before the properties can be knocked down.