AUBURN – Crews in Auburn need to get buildings at the corner of Court and Main streets ready before they can tear them down next month.

Crews should begin interior demolition today at 18 Court St. and 66-72 Main St. The wood frame building at 18 Court St. should come down for good in early May, according to City Economic Development Director Roland Miller. The gray cinder block building at 2 Court St. – known as the old Community Concepts building – will come down about a week later.

“But we have to get the interiors of both buildings cleaned up before we can tear them down,” Miller said. “They have to clean up the things like asbestos tiles before we get to the dramatic part.”

The demolition is part of the redevelopment of the southeast corner of Court and Main streets and the planned expansion of Austin’s Fine Wine and Foods into the buildings.

According to the agreement with developers, American Holdings Inc. will purchase the buildings for $145,000, paid over 20 years. The city agreed to tear down the wooden frame structure at 18 Court St.

“They’ve designed a very nice treatment for that space,” Miller said. “It won’t be brick, but they are proposing to put a structure back up there.”

The city’s share of work – demolishing the building, stabilizing some of the walls, cleaning up asbestos and extending utility lines to the property – should cost about $170,000.

The city will keep the land where the Community Concepts building is, leaving it open.

Developers plan to expand Austin’s Fine Wine and Foods along the first floor of the new property, and develop office space on two floors above it. In all, the project includes 8,350 square feet of leasable space.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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