When: Lancaster City Council committee meeting, Sept. 5. Vice President Faith Craig was absent.
What happened: Council reviewed the Historical Commission’s third recommendation of denial to demolish 227 W. James St., which is owned by Sam Lombardo.
Background: The request is to tear down the West James Street 19th-century row house that has been vacant since 2017. The building was acquired by Lombardo in October 2018 for $185,000. A demolition permit application filed by Lombardo’s company Immobili Commercial LLC as part of its plan to expand Lombardo’s Restaurant was scheduled to go before City Council’s community planning committee last month. Before the meeting took place, the company asked to be removed from the agenda.
Recommendation: “The Historical Commission has voted unanimously three times to recommend denial of the application for demolition at 227 W. James St.,” said Steven Funk, vice chair of the Historical Commission. He noted he’d keep his remarks brief because he has talked to council twice before to explain the commission’s position on this building. “It’s come back to the commission several times with very minor changes that have made no meaningful changes to the application that address the commission’s concerns, which is why we continue to recommend denial of the request for demolition.” He said the loss of this building, which sits between two parking lots, would create such a large gap in the streetscape in what is mainly a residential neighborhood.
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Applicant’s view: Michael Davis, a partner with the law firm Barley Snyder, spoke to City Council on behalf of Lombardo. “We really believe there are circumstances that merit and justify the granting of an approval with conditions,” he said. Davis and Abigail Frederick, project manager for Lombardo, brought up safety and cost concerns, as well as neighborhood engagement.
More: After consulting with contractors, representatives for Lombardo have received estimates stating that to rehabilitate and restore the property to residential use would cost between $547,800 to $675,000. Lombardo’s has hosted two neighborhood meetings about 227 W. James St., where the idea of using the space to create a garden took form. If the house is demolished, Lombardo’s would create a community herb garden featuring art on a rotating basis.
Public comment: Misty Bencak, granddaughter of the last resident to live in the building, said the property was in very poor condition and unsafe back then. “It’s just a building. There is no historical significance to the building,” she said.
Next steps: Aside from reviewing the recommendation, no action was taken by council. It is extremely rare for council to stray from recommendations made by the Historical Commission. Since 2008, there have been only three cases where it split from the commission’s recommendation.
Library: Lissa Holland, executive director of the Lancaster Public Library and John Carpenter, who sits on the library’s Board of Trustees, asked council to consider increasing its contributions in the 2024 budget to $115,500. In 2023, the library received $110,000 from the city of Lancaster. The library’s budget this year is $1.6 million, and Holland expects it to be similar in 2024.
What’s next: Lancaster City Council’s next meeting is Sept. 12. The meeting will be held in council chambers and will also be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube page.
