Representatives with The Catholic Diocese of Columbus went before the Downtown Commission yesterday morning, asking for permission to demolish the 118-year old building at 197 East Gay Street, and they were told no.
The property has been owned by the church since the 1960s and used as administrative offices for the group. After some bricks were knocked loose from the building by a storm earlier this year, it was deemed a public hazard by the City of Columbus. The church put up some temporary fencing and submitted a plan in September to tear down the building and replace it with an expanded private surface parking lot, which would add approximately 32 parking spaces for church staff and their congregation.
Before the conversation even began, Senior Planner Nolan Harshaw who staffs the Downtown Commission, noted that the proposal was in direct conflict with the Downtown Guidelines…