100-east-state-street

The Jefferson City Council officially approved a purchase agreement to acquire another downtown commercial building.

City Administrator Mike Palmer says the Council approved purchasing the former Angie’s Tea Garden property at 100 East State Street at no cost. Additionally, the Council approved a professional services contract with The Franks Design Group for $19,960 to do architectural and structural designs of the building. Palmer explains the primary reason why the City purchased the building. 

“The Council was fully aware that our end of it is just the stabilization of this property. We want to get it in and out of our hands as fast as possible. We’ll do the asbestos removal (and) we’ll clean the building out. Then there is a group of investors waiting to take possession of it.”

Palmer anticipates closing on the building before the end of the year. However preliminary work will start soon.

“The architect and engineers have been given the go ahead to start the process of developing plans and specifications. Because this project will be big enough that it will have to be bid out, and there’s really no way we want our people in house, people trying to do a project like this because it’ll be pretty intense of what has to be done on that roof.”     

The building fell into disrepair earlier this year, when an abandoned upper-story apartment flooded the main floor of the restaurant, forcing the closure of it. Palmer adds the City has access to using up to $150,000 per year of tax increment financing (TIF) funds to make improvements on the building.