The Bank Street Armory sale is paused after objections. The building's future is uncertain

FALL RIVER — A handful of residents shared impassioned pleas not to sell the Bank Street Armory for redevelopment into housing, even as an apparent supermajority of the City Council is ready to make the sale — but an objection by City Council Vice President Linda Pereira during Tuesday’s meeting stopped the armory's sale from moving forward for now.

The matter can be taken up in two weeks at the next City Council meeting.

It was the third time the City Council delayed a decision to sell the armory to local developer Alan Macomber, who has proposed buying the 1897 building for $200,000. He plans to invest $13 million in a project to create 37 market-rate apartments there.

On Sept. 26, the City Council took the matter up twice. After an initial vote and a misunderstanding on what item was being voted on, City Councilor Michelle Dionne, who opposes the sale, asked for the vote to be reconsidered. It failed to get the six required votes to sell city property.

City Councilors Pam Laliberte and Leo Pelletier, who attended Tuesday's meeting and favor the sale, were not present for that September vote.

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Councilors who disagree with armory sale put issue back on the table

Mayor Paul Coogan resubmitted the order to sell the armory, which didn’t sit well with Dionne and Pereira, who also opposes the sale.

Reading from the charter and a city ordinance, Dionne said the council's vote to reject the sale was taken properly.

“To simply turn around and say, 'I want it re-voted,' it doesn’t work that way. It can’t work that way,” said Dionne.

Pereira asked the council to table the matter. But if the motion to table did not pass, she promised to object to the vote, setting it up for the next meeting.

“Because this cannot be here,” said Pereira.

Before the meeting, Corporation Counsel Alan Rumsey said there is no rule preventing the mayor from resubmitting items to the council.

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Citizens speak in opposition to armory sale

The armory was used by an armed local militia in its early days, then by the National Guard until the 1960s. It was turned over to the city, which used it for basketball games and youth recreational programs. The building was shuttered in April 2015 due to structural damage, displacing several youth and adult nonprofits. Except for a $400,000 Community Preservation Act grant to keep a chimney and the roof from collapsing, the building has not seen significant repairs. It is currently used as storage for the city.

A recent estimate put repairs at between $10 million and $12 million.

Jeffrey Gendreau asked the council to reject the sale, and to seek out grants and other funding sources to maintain and redevelop the armory for public ownership and use.

“This is our building. This is the people’s building that should be used for the public, not for market-rate housing. We are tired of seeing this going around. Everything is being used for apartments now,” said Gendreau.

Local media personality and former B.M.C. Durfee High School basketball star Michael Herren talked about “huge mistakes” Fall River has made with its historic buildings, referencing buildings like the Durfee and Park theaters and selling off land on South Main Street for a courthouse.

“Fall River talks about valuing their culture and their history, but if you look at some of our decisions over the last decades, we don’t,” said Herren.

Former mayor and current mayoral candidate C. Sam Sutter weighed in during citizens’ input. He said the $400,000 used for repairs was “the people’s money,” meant for a building the people “clearly want to keep.”

Historic building is falling apart

At issue regarding the majestic but decaying armory is that everyone wants it saved and redeveloped. Coogan initially worked with a New Hampshire developer with experience reinvigorating armories into cultural centers, but that deal fell through.

When the city published its request for proposals, it indicated a preference for a public cultural venue.

Macomber is experienced with the redevelopment and preservation of old city buildings. He is the principal developer of the Creative Class building at 64 Durfee St., once the home of Bradford Durfee Textile School. He was also a partner in the redevelopment of Commonwealth Landing on Davol Street, once a Quaker Fabric Co. mill.

Macomber was also the only developer to respond to the RFP.

As he had several times before in the council chamber, Macomber asked for approval of the sale.

But he also urged councilors, if they were to reject his proposal, to “have the wherewithal to please request $300,000 in CPA funds to begin to save the building.”

Macomber said water damage and other factors were ”absolutely destroying the property.”

“Am I missing the political game we’re playing?” said a seemingly frustrated City Councilor Shawn Cadime, who twice voted for the sale in previous votes. “So what’s the purpose of waiting two weeks?”

Cadime said while he doesn’t think market-rate housing was the best proposal before the council, he would continue to support the sale.

“However, I do not have faith in the city to do what is right for that building,” said Cadime.

If a vote on the sale moves forward in the next meeting before a full council, and Laliberte, Pelletier, Cadime, Brad Kilby, Laura Washington and Andrew Raposo vote yes, the sale would move forward.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Sale of historic Fall River armory on hold after council objections