A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of Price Florist on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish the building within 60 days.
A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of the former Price Florist building on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish it within 60 days.
The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals had considered whether to issue a demolition or repair order for the once-thriving store at three other meetings this year, but members had given property owner Patricia Warren of Crossville several extensions to allow her time to come back with a sales contract, repair plan, or demolition permit. On Thursday, they said she had run out of time.
“I think we’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you and your property,” board member Philip Nipper said before the 6-0 vote in favor of demolition.
Warren has cleaned up the property and had hoped to sell the 0.35-acre site. She has said she had three potential buyers. But on Thursday, she said it hasn’t sold yet.
Warren said she has hired contractor Laurel Patrick to determine whether it can be repaired or demolished. If it can be repaired, Patrick will submit a detailed plan and should have an expected construction start date by Monday, Warren said.
If it isn’t worth repairing, a demolition permit will be sought, Warren said.
Warren sold the Price Florist business about four years ago but still owned the property. Earlier this year, she told board members she wasn’t aware of the poor property conditions.
In June, the board declared the building a nuisance and unfit for human occupation or use.
Price Florist was started by the Price family in the early 1950s, and Warren and her ex-husband bought it in the late 1970s.
Earlier this year, the city staff said the now-unused building was in severe disrepair, citing fire code violations, a leaking roof, electrical hazards, plumbing issues, and broken concrete floors, among other things.
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