A community meeting was held Aug. 19 at Martinsville High School to discuss the Northside community. Before the meeting, council members toured the area and made notes about issues, including blighted properties.
One concern came from Dr. Mervyn King, who asked for action on the Byrd building, located in Uptown near the old courthouse. The structure is one of several properties in Uptown in need of renovation.
Residents also raised concerns about a vacant house in the Northside area that has attracted trespassers. Some community members said they felt nothing was being done to address the problem.
“If anything, we have taken some action. We have boarded up the basement area because that wasn’t open. And we have towed a couple of vehicles,” said Building Official and Zoning Administrator Kris Bridges.
Bridges noted his office does not have the authority to repair properties. “The unfortunate reality is that my hammer is really, really big. I can tear down houses,” he said.
Council Member Julian Mei warned against potential buyers trespassing on blighted properties.
“They said they went up into the property. Don’t do that anywhere. Don’t go into other abandoned structures. They might not be abandoned. Just in general, don’t go in there, any other house, even if you think you want to buy,” Mei said.
The group also visited the area near the bridge past Chick-fil-A, where the city is working with the Harvest Foundation on a feasibility study for an amphitheater.
“They’re looking at what it would look like to put it on it, to place it on that line, to make sense, to do it, how large it should be based off of what they anticipate is sort of the amount of people that would be here,” Bridges said. “So that’s kind of an architect. It’s basically just looking at it, saying does it make sense to put it there. If it does, what size would the city accommodate based on surrounding amenities and things like that.”
It was also noted that Firestone and Popeyes are being built across from Aldi, and that the Holiday Inn project is still progressing. Residents also inquired about the status of Renewal Brewing.
“It’s not going to be forever. It was part 1. It’s sort of the brewery long term. I think it was essential for that restaurant to go on the main floor. And there’s discussions about someone possibly taking on the project and finishing the restaurant,” Mei said.
