Tony’s Town & Country: Wrecking Ball or Overhaul?
The Tony’s Town and Country building at 401 E. 2nd St. still remains. But for how long?
By Tom Peterson
The Tony’s Town & Country building at 401 E. Second St. in The Dalles downtown scores a 10 out of 10 when it comes to good location and a focal point for our community, said Gary Grossman, Chair of the Urban Renewal District.
“We have to be particularly careful with what happens with that space because it is a 10,” he said.
Gateway Urban Renewal Chair Gary Grossman
Downtown revitalization is a cornerstone in Urban Renewal’s plan to rev up the local economy through the creation of inviting spaces that encourage tourism, spending, retail, restaurants, and the like.
Urban Renewal purchased the Tony’s building for $420,000 in 2016, according to Wasco County property records. And a series of different business proposals for the location have been raised during the past several years.
Tokola Properties of Gresham, for example, considered building retail space, parking and 69 apartments on the site until the company learned they would have to pay prevailing wage. They walked in 2019.
Most recently TD Fitness Hub, a group of local partners made up of Brian and Peggy Cassidy and The Zukin 2002 Family Trust considered purchasing the building.
But inspectors found more than $700,000 in repairs necessary to make the building safe and usable, killing the deal. A leaking roof, HVAC, foundation cracks and multiple other issues mired the project in costly repairs.
So, now the question remains.
Does it cost more to tear it down or fix it up?
TD Community Development Director Alice Cannon
Grossman said there are several local investors that are kicking tires on the building currently.
In the meantime, The City of The Dalles is completing the due diligence to get a bid on the cost of tearing it down.
Community Development Director Alice Cannon said she expected to get bids for demolition this spring and, if awarded, the work could start within the calendar year, perhaps fall 2021.
Grossman said the last bid for demolition came several years ago with the Tokolo proposition, and it was “north of $400,000.”
Would the teardown of Tony’s then entice a developer who is looking for “shovel-ready” property?
We’ll see.
The Urban Renewal Board is set to meet this Tuesday, March 30, in an executive session to discuss matters concerning real property transactions.
Plaza?
The building, which encompasses three different spaces, anchors Federal Street. Local leaders, such as former mayor Steve Lawrence and current mayor Rich Mays have embraced Ideas about creating a pedestrian-friendly space at the north end of Federal, a plaza for community events such as concerts or events.
The latest inspection of the Tony’s Town and Country Building brought in large rehabilitation costs. This assessment can be found in the meeting minutes of the July 2020 Urban Renewal meeting packet.
