The City of Knox could be looking to redevelop 6 North Main Street into its next popup store. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city’s redevelopment commission last week that while the building doesn’t seem to have any major structural issues, it needs a lot of work before it can be used.
“I mean, he started it,” Estok said. “He gutted the downstairs. He gutted the upstairs. There’s no furnace in it. He’s got a new electrical panel in there. I don’t know if he did it the right way. He did get in there and frame it out. It’s got new studs and all of that.”
By purchasing 6 North Main Street, the redevelopment commission can preserve a downtown building that would otherwise likely remain vacant, while also giving a business a space to start up operations. “The way it is right now, I don’t think he will get anybody to buy it unless he gives it away, to put that much money into it, for downtown,” Estok said. “I don’t think he’s going to do it. But that gets you right back to what the redevelopment commission is for and about because if we don’t do it, it will probably sit another 20 years or it will fall down.”
The redevelopment commission voted to have a contractor look at the building and see what it would cost to make the necessary renovations, before they decide whether to move ahead with a potential purchase.
