Garrity said the city is
still in discussions with the owner. The council voted in 2005 to acquire the
building by deed or condemnation. The city received a $1.3 million grant from
the federal government in 2004 to renovate the former train station, which was
known as Union Station. The US Supreme Court ruled that local governments may
not use condemnation for economic development, but Garrity said it is legally
permissible for transportation purposes.
The council rejected a plan
by the garage owner and a developer to renovate the transit center as a
public-private partnership in 2010 because of concerns that the project
wouldn’t be financial viable.
Garrity said it’s unlikely
that a future transportation center would replace the Clark Campbell
Transportation Center at 5th and Liberty streets because of the
number of fixed-route bus lines served there.
East Winston community leader
Marva Reid plans to present a petition to council tonight urging members to
push forward on the initiative.
“Once again, the Davis Garage
and the East Winston history is of dire importance that you help us save not
only for historical reasons but the restoration of this building and train
station would be the start of revitalization of East Winston economically again,”
Reid wrote in a Facebook message yesterday. “The city council now wants to back
out of the eminent domain and give the building back to Mr. Davis and venture
on putting a main hub downtown which would devastate our master plans that we
have worked very hard on for the past six years.”
Reid said that East Ward
Councilman Derwin Montgomery and Simon Green Atkins Community Development
Corporation Executive Director Carol Davis helped draft the petition.
The city council meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight.
The city council meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight.
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