The Grafton Hill Community Development Corp. has proposed relocating the homes, which members say will prevent the neighborhood from losing any more of its historic character and fabric.
The Grafton Hill group says it plans to move the homes in September and it has made significant progress to obtain the necessary permits and funding for the project.
“We are very close to a satisfactory outcome for all here,” said Dan Barton, the vice president of the Grafton Hill Community Development Corp.
But the Masonic Foundation says the group was given more than a year to arrange the move and still it has not happened.
The foundation says it has worked with the Grafton Hill group, the Landmarks Commission and the city commission, but owning the homes costs money and the rear entrance and parking lot need to be finished.
On July 9, the Dayton Landmarks Commission approved the Masonic foundation’s request to remove the homes it purchased at 36 and 52 Grafton Ave. to help construct the new entry and parking.. The foundation is allowed to demolish the structures after Sept. 14.
But the Landmarks Commission also said the Masonic Foundation should reasonably accommodate and cooperate with the Grafton Hill Community Development Corp. to see if the structures can be moved before that date. The development corporation has appealed the decision to Dayton’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
A year ago, the foundation appeared before the commission to make the same demolition request. The Masonic Center is creating an access point to its lower-level kitchen and parking for service staff.
But the Grafton Hill Community Development Corp. voiced strong opposition to the demolition plan.
Members of the development corporation threatened to take legal action against the Masonic Center. One proposal was to try to vote the precinct dry, which could have impacted the Masonic Center’s ability to sell and serve alcohol.
However, the city commission last year approved redrawing the city’s ward boundaries, which removed the Masonic Center, the Dayton Art Institute and Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church from the Fifth Ward. The change shielded those institutions from any efforts that would prohibit or severely limit their alcohol sales, city officials said.
The Masonic foundation said it offered to sell the homes to the Grafton Hill group for $2 on the condition the group pay for their relocation. Masonic officials said the group rejected the offer and demanded the foundation pay to move the structures.
At the July 2014 meeting, Earl Reeder, an architect for the plan, said the Masonic Center supported the idea of relocating the structures, but said the Masonic Center will not pay for it. He said the neighborhood group can have a year to investigate whether a relocation was possible. The Masonic Center withdrew its request for demolition.
A year passed and the Masonic Center went back before the Landmarks Commission. Its demolition application was approved.
But the development corporation has challenged the commission’s decision, saying it does not have the authority to approve the application until February 2016, based on a permit the group received.
The Grafton Hill group said too many historic homes and buildings in the neighborhood have been eliminated, and additional demolition could jeopardize the neighborhood’s historic district designation.
“We can’t afford to lose anymore,” Barton said. “We have to keep our integrity intact.”
The group’s plan is to move one of the homes to 245 Central Ave., and the other to 329 Central Ave., which would cost about $80,000, Barton said.
Barton said his group is still working on the funding, but all of the costs associated with moving the properties are now qualified restoration expenses, making them eligible for historic tax credits. He said the project will apply for federal and state historic tax credits.
Barton said his group is still working to obtain a heavy-hauling permit and they must get permission from property owners along the route to the landing spots for the homes.
“The project is really far along,” Barton said.
But the Masonic Foundation said it learned in July that the Grafton Hill group had not received the necessary permits and only recently applied for them.
The Masonic Foundation said it sent a proposed agreement to the Grafton Hill group for a relocation plan, but the group responded by sending back a different contract.
Barton said he’s hopeful a mutually satisfactory outcome can occur.
About the Author
