TROY — Troy Main Street is proposing a “mural program” to enhance downtown Troy’s buildings with local artwork.
Troy Main Street’s Executive Director Andrea Keller wrote a letter to Troy Planning Commission seeking their approval to begin fundraising for the mural program. Troy Planning Commission will review the proposal at its meeting at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Troy Planning Commission’s meetings are held online via Zoom and on the city of Troy’s Facebook page.
Keller’s letter to Planning Commission requests permission to move forward with the mural program to begin “work with building owners, artists and funding sources for individual murals.”
Troy Main Street stated they would present each mural location and its proposed design to the commission for approval.
Keller included potential mural locations and if the building owner was open or not to participating.
The following buildings and their owners have expressed interest in participating in the program: 405 Southwest quadrant of the Public Square, 116 S. Market St. (Pachamama boutique); 101 S. Market St. (Echo Boutique/Poppy Lane); 301 Public Square (David Fair); Haren’s Market (between window spaces, not on the brick) on the East Main Street side; 106 E. Main St. (Troy City Music building); 111 E. Main St. (Beauty by Bellotti) building (the owner requests having the ‘ghost’ mural repainted); 6 E. Main St. (Polished Nail Salon), the owner will participate as long as the Presbyterian Church also approves the design); walls of the 405 building and its alley wall to Cherry Street; 4 S. Market St. (Insightful Eyewear) building in the southwest quadrant; 9 W. Main St. (Mayflower building); 15 S. Market St. (The3 Weird Sisters Studio).
• The demo application for the 112-118 W. Main St. building has requested the application again be tabled. In an email to Planning and Zoning manager Tim Davis, Ben Redick, general manager and broker from the Bruns Realty Group, requested the issue remain on the table. The email stated there are currently two interested buyers “as well as exploring the final, detailed costs, to repair and keep up the building.” The owner is Randy Kimmel.
At the Feb. 24 meeting, Troy Planning and Zoning staff recommended denying the pending application to demolish the 112-118 W. Main St. building “due to the owner arguing for adopting a less than desirable reuse plan.” The application has been tabled for nearly four months.
Previously, city staff found two out of four criteria were met for Planning Commission to consider demolition and recommended the request to tear down the building and use the land to create a parking lot. Planning Commission tabled the request to allow Wolpert Group to inspect the building. The city contracted the Wolpert Group for a cost not to exceed $10,000 for a structural engineer and building inspector for their professional services.
The three-story building with 17,500 square feet of space was once the site of the former Miami County courthouse (1841-1888). In the application, Kimmel states the tornado damage in January 2020 has rendered the building unsafe and will cost nearly $660,000 to renovate.
Before the application was tabled, more than 118 pages of materials were submitted to the commission from public feedback as well as a civil engineer’s written opinion.
Residents and other locals protested the building’s demolition last fall.
