By Thomas Triolo | Downtown Devil
The Historic Preservation Commission settled into regular business Monday, working on funding existing grants and expanding historic preservation protections to houses.
After introductory items, first on the agenda was a request from Pat Cantelme, one of the owners of the Van Buren concert venue. Cantelme asked to renegotiate the terms of the $250,000 grant for renovations given to the building’s concert promoter tenants.
Cantelme argued that if the renters were to leave the building and no other renters could be found to use it as a concert venue, he and the building’s co-owner Jim Kuykendall may have to renovate the exterior of the building. The $250,000 grant from the City of Phoenix stipulates that the exterior of the building may not be changed for 30 years, or else the entire grant must be repaid.
Cantelme asked the Commission to change the term to 15 years, and for an agreement to repay the money pro rata after the 15 years are up.
