Feb. 8—MANCHESTER — The Board of Directors voted 7-2 Tuesday night to approve the purchase 942 Main St., otherwise known as the Tong building, for $1.75 million.

Board Secretary Tim Bergin and Director Jacqueline Crespan were the two dissenting votes against the purchase of the 0.79-acre lot, which includes a white concrete, single-story retail building with a history of blight and vacancy.

Board members in favor of the purchase said the parcel was an opportunity for redevelopment and economic growth. Residents and directors opposed to the sale raised concerns over the price, circumstances, and fate of the building's occupants.

Some residents with businesses located at 942 Main St. asked directors to delay the vote for at least a month.

Steven Cortavarria, managing member of Bui Vietnamese Cuisine, said many of the building's tenants just learned of the pending acquisition as a result of a letter that arrived Friday, notifying them that they would have to vacate the building this year.

Cortavarria said the sale would be both foolish and "borderline complicit" in the existing owner's failings, effectively rewarding them for neglecting the property for years.

The parents of state Attorney General William Tong own the building under the name WJSJM LLC.

"It should be suspect that the Tongs want this deal done so bad and so quickly, it should give you all pause as to why," Cortavarria told the Board of Directors, adding they should table the decision to give tenants time to weigh their options, collect their resources, and plan for the future. Litigation may be an option for the tenants, he added.

Justin Bedard, co-owner of the BeaHive Salon, said relocating would prove difficult for him, his wife Brittany, and the salon's nine employees.

"We took out loans that are dependent on our lease that you are now going to be breaking," Bedard told the board, adding that the business was designed around the location and the space the couple spent months renovating "every square inch.

"We thought we were being a part of the revitalization that was happening down on Main Street," Bedard said. "Little did we know we were just getting in the way of your revitalization."

Some of the seven directors who voted for the purchase said it was one of the hardest decisions they had to make as a board member, but pledged that tenants would be assisted.

Director Dennis Schain, a Democrat, said he is familiar with the situation the tenants are in, as his father owned a small food business. But the town's purchase would be in the best interests of residents as a whole.

"I know what a tough life that can be, running your own business, and to have this kind of change come at you is very difficult," Schain said.

Director Peter Conyers, a Republican, said his support was not enthusiastic, but the possibility to revitalize Main Street could not be passed up.

"What I'd like to echo and make sure the public hears us say is that the town makes all reasonable efforts toward" working with tenants, Conyers said.

Bergin, a Democrat, said he had concerns based on whether the purchase would be the best use of the town's resources and whether it was a good deal for the town.

Casting those concerns aside, Bergin said the town should do everything in its power to protect the tenants.

"Even if it pushes the line of what is a reasonable expense or what is a reasonable timeframe in order to provide that support without fully vacating the building, I'd like for us to fully exercise every option," Bergin said.

Crespan, a Republican, said the $1.75 million purchase was far above the appraised value of the property, and the town was being held to an "ultimatum" to buy it.

"If we don't buy this building, then apparently the Tong family will not sell it for 10 years," Crespan said.

Crespan said the sale would put the six tenants "out of business," and urged board members to reconsider.

"If we do this, we should stop saying we support small businesses," Crespan said.

For the last 10 years the town has attempted to revitalize this area of downtown, with the Tong building typically in the mix.

Going back to 2013 the Board of Directors, then under the leadership of former mayor Leo V. Diana who is now a superior court judge, considered developing the parcel and adjacent town-owned Forest Street parking lot into a new library.

The Library Advisory Board commissioned a feasibility study that year after a survey of Manchester voters showed that most wanted a downtown library.

The survey was done after a $12.5 million bond referendum to renovate and add 10,000 square feet to Mary Cheney Library failed in the 2013 election by 3,531 votes. The vote was highly contentious with many claiming preservation of Center Memorial Park as the main reason for opposition, forcing the board to look elsewhere to build a new library.

The results of the privately funded study were that the Tong building was one of three in the downtown area flagged as needing serious renovations. Subsequent studies have shown the land between St. James Place and Forest Street would be difficult to build a new library on, however, as the rear western edge of the parcel is a hill of solid rock.

Joseph covers Manchester and Bolton for the Journal Inquirer.