Community Corner

City Seeks Funds to Demolish Vacant Route 1 Buildings

Former Arby's restaurant, Mandalay Cafe among the properties the city hopes to level.

A former Arby’s fast food restaurant; a Texaco Gas Station; a former bar called the Brass Lantern that served as a neighborhood gathering place until the 1970s.

These histories, and the dilapidated walls that contain them, could soon be leveled.

The city is applying for $140,000 in state loans and grants to knock down three empty buildings along U.S. Route 1, and to cover some marketing costs to woo new developers to those properties and three others.

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City council voted to endorse the application for the Community Legacy program, which provides financial assistance for revitalization efforts.

New Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater said there’s no timeline for when the city will know if the application request will be granted.

Find out what's happening in College Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the meantime, though, residents will have the opportunity to learn about the status of these vacant properties and others. The city is planning a workshop to share information on empty buildings along U.S. Route 1, and to garner ideas from residents about what they want to fill those buildings.

The session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 19 in the City Council Chambers of City Hall.


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