Monika Leininger
Mleinin1@uwyo.edu
During this week’s city council meeting a public work session was held to discuss a project that could allow local Laramie business to expand and fill a vacant downtown lot.
The Laramie Main Street Alliance is requesting a grant from the Wyoming Business Council for $3 million to redevelop Empress lot at 112 S. Second St. next to the Cowboy bar.
The redevelopment plans for Big Hollow Food Co-Op grocery retailer to occupy the first floor. The second floor of the project would be made into apartments for rent.
Several community residents and stakeholders filled the city council meeting to express their support and concerns for the project.
“It’s a good project to move forward with, the important thing is that it’s local and it serves an amenity for people that move to the area and want local and wholesomely grown food products,” Head Big Hollow food Co-Op board of directors Donald McLeod said.
The additional space for Big Hollow would allow for the local business to offer more products on the shelves and employ more residents.
Mike McCammen, employee of Main Street Alliance, outlines the necessity for this vacant lot to be funded through public money.
“Should you want to do anything with the Empress, you’re looking at a pit, basically a bathtub that is supporting the adjacent building,” she said. “We have over a million dollars budgeted just for site prep.”
When the building was demolished in 2009 after being deemed a hazard, a foundation was put in place that supports adjacent building structures.
“Say we want the co-op to pay for this, or whoever fills the lot. Estimates are over a million dollars to have a site that they can use,” McCammen said. “At the end of the day its not clear that private money is going to fix this problem, the way this is fixed through public support.”
Final agreements on the matter of reconstruction project are anticipated for the May 3 or May 17 council meeting.
In other news, the city council approved a thoroughly discussed agreement with Charter Communications to renew their lease for a year.
Additionally, the city council agreed on welcoming Love’s Travel Center to a location on Interstate 80 within the city limits of Laramie.
