Majority of Toledo City Council will deny appeal of United Way building demolition

A majority of Toledo City Council members plan to deny an appeal filed Monday against the demolition permit granted earlier this month for the United Way of Greater Toledo's former headquarters downtown.

Fred Kutz, of East Toledo, a former City Council candidate, appealed the Toledo Plan Commission's 3-2 vote on March 11, which granted the nonprofit agency approval to tear down the 41-year-old building bound by Superior, Jackson, and Summit streets. Council must vote on the appeal within 45 days.

Mr. Kutz, a member of the Toledo 20/20 Land Use Implementation committee, said he was not convinced council would allow the building to be razed.

"I thought the decision by the plan commission was the wrong decision," Mr. Kutz said after filing his appeal with council. "I thought there would have been more public outrage about this other than [Councilman] Joe McNamara."

Mr. McNamara, along with Toledo architect Paul Sullivan, joined preservationists in calling for a six-month reprieve for the building.

On the opposite side of the issue are councilmen Wilma Brown, Mike Ashford, Rob Ludeman, Lindsay Webb, Tom Waniewski, D. Michael Collins, Adam Martinez, and Mike Craig, who said they would vote in favor of demolition.

Seven votes are needed to approve the demolition request.

"United Way needs all the money it has right now to serve its clients," said Mr. Craig, chairman of council's zoning and planing committee. "You could mothball that building for years before you could get someone who would want to reuse it."

Julie Gibbons, assistant clerk of council, said council's zoning and planning committee would formally hear the appeal on April 14 and the full council could vote on it during its April 27 regular meeting.