FULTON, NY – Plans are on the horizon to transform the abandoned Congregational Church at West First and Broadway into new business and new tax dollars for the city of Fulton.
For those plans to move forward, however, the city is first considering a zone change request.
Second Ward Alderman David Guyer explained the project during this week’s meeting of the Fulton Common Council.
Based in Illinois, the Family Video Store is considering purchasing the church, the parsonage and two houses to the north of the church along West First Street. The buildings would be taken down and replaced with a new Family Video Outlet Store. One of the properties is a single family residence and the second is a multi-family rental unit. Guyer said both property owners are agreeable to the sale.
“They have a purchase offer,†Guyer said. He noted that the offer has been accepted, contingent on the city’s zoning decisions.
Guyer noted that while the church is a “beautiful old building,†as churches close, they can become an albatross for a city.
Right now, Broadway is zoned C-2 commercial property, Guyer said.
“It is the least restrictive of the zones,†he said. He noted, however, that the houses that are part of the project are zoned R-2 residential.
The proposed zone change request, if approved, would change zoning to C-2 for the remainder of the block along West First Street from Broadway to Voorhees Street.
Guyer noted that there is one other property owner on the block who has lived in her home for 60 years. He said while she is not “thrilled†at the idea of having business next door, she is not fighting the proposal.
Guyer said he would stress the importance of appropriate screening and shrubbery between the business and her property through the site plan process.
The city agreed to advertise for a public hearing on the request, which will be held Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. With that, the council also agreed to advertise for a public hearing on a special use permit for the project.
“This project would be the first time we use the special use permit,†Mayor Ronald Woodward said.
He noted that Guyer’s concerns for his neighborhood would be addressed through that process through the site plan review and written into the permit that is issued.
“Whatever is agreed upon, they actually have to sign that,†Woodward noted. Any deviation from the agreement could result in penalties.
Woodward noted, too, that the permit protects the city with future activities at the property. If the owners decided to sell, he said someone could operate a video store as the permit dictates. Any other business would not be allowed without a new special use permit process would have to start again.
Under the city’s previous rules, any business allowed under C-2 zoning would be allowed without that process.
“It’s tightening things up,†Woodward said.
Woodward said that while the city can’t reach back and repair the problems that have happened through the years, it can change how things are done in the future through things like special use permits.
Guyer said that he thinks the proposal is positive for many reasons. He noted that the project would generate both new sales tax and property tax for the city.
While church properties are not-for-profit and do not pay property tax, a new business on the corner would.
Sixth Ward Alderman Russ Hayden also pointed out that if something is not done with that property, the burden of the building could eventually fall into the city’s hands.
“If someone else is taking down the church, it is not the city,†Hayden said.
Guyer said that if the church is taken down, a salvage company would come in and remove things like the windows so that some of the items are saved for other uses. Woodward noted that the owners have also agreed to donate two benches from the church to the city.
“It is part of our city’s history,†he said.
Woodward pointed out that the “cold reality†is that as the building deteriorates and becomes a safety concern, the city could be obligated to take it down at the taxpayers’ expense. He estimated that cost around $100,000.
“You are going to gain a lot more than you are going to lose,†Woodward said.
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