ASHLAND — The former Hess and Clark building in Ashland will look more and more like a pile of rubble as crews work through the summer to tear down the vacant behemoth.
Mayor Matt Miller expects the demolition to wrap up in August.
“That’s the timeframe we’ve been given,” he said. “But every time we’ve done a demolition project, the timeframe given seems to be altered in some way due to weather or equipment delays.”
Asbestos removal began in January and demolition began in late May.
As far as construction for the planned 200-unit apartment building, that is to-be-determined.
Los Angeles-based Abacus Financial, the developer, declined to comment on this story.
Original plans for the site included constructing an 85,000 square-foot data center for processing online orders of major retailers. Miller said that plan changed after the developer visited Ashland.
“I took him around and showed him all our developments and plans,” he said, adding the developer wanted to join the city’s effort to revitalize what has been dubbed the Pump House District.
The city recently acquired property at the corner of Fourth and Union streets, which includes the urban meadow space and a building. The building, which sits vacant, was sold to a local company who plans on developing it into a 16-32 unit apartment building, Miller said.
The former Pump House building, now a field, is slated to be an “urban meadow.” Miller said it will include ultra-modern art, concrete walking pads, outdoor musical instruments and a sun dial. The city received $150,000 in state funds in late 2020 for the project.
“It’s going to be like something you would see in a major metropolitan area,” Miller said of the urban meadow and accompanying apartment buildings.
