Algonquin Village Board to consider demolition request

ALGONQUIN A group of property owners who have land along Algonquin Road want to tear down three buildings which are in the Old Town District.

The village board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the request to tear down two commercial buildings and a garage at 107-111 W. Algonquin Road.

In December, the village's Historic Commission voted to deny the petition to demolish the buildings. The commission cited the historical significance of the buildings.

All three of the buildings are in "very poor" condition, and have numerous building code violations, according to village documents.

The siding, trim, windows and railings among other things all need repair or replacement. The inside has mold in the basement and roof leaks. The village has cited the property for numerous code violations and levied fines through the administrative adjudication process.

"Ultimately however, village staff cannot physically do maintenance and repair improvements for a property owner, and so this property has continued to have a blighting effect on downtown and continues to consume substantial staff time and resources," according to a memo written by Russell Farnum.

The building also has many structural problems and there are leaky pipes and cracks in the foundation. Repairs to the buildings could cost $100,000, according to village documents.

"Improving the structures from their current condition to be viable for business use would be very costly and it would still likely be a challenge to attract tenants given the abundance of existing commercial space downtown," Farnum wrote.

Facade changes to the properties have taken place over the course of time, and have no architectural significance, village documents say.

There are no plans for the site other than to remove the buildings and sod/seed the property. Any plan for site redevelopment would need Village Board approval.

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Algonquin Village Board to consider demolition request