What's Happening in Lancaster, OH…

The Lancaster City Council voted to raze a small warehouse on New Holland Avenue to make room for parking. However, council members mandated that federal standards must be followed in documenting the structure before it is demolished.

The warehouse appears in a directory from 1888, and over the years has operated as a confectionery, a slaughterhouse, and an auto repair shop. Today, a carpet cleaning company is leasing the space on a month-to-month basis.

The request to demolish the warehouse came from the owners of the building at 454 New Holland Avenue, which is directly across the street from the old structure. The 454 building currently has a roster of varied tenants that include Acuity Advisors and the Lancaster Science Factory. The owners would like to expand the offices, but zoning regulations stipulate they must provide 24 parking spaces at a minimum. The only way to provide the mandated parking is to tear down the old warehouse, which would make room for 32 spaces. With the warehouse still standing, there would only be 18 spaces available.

One of the 454 New Holland Avenue’s co-owners, Steve Hibshman, said he has been trying to find parking somewhere else for more than two years, but was unable to find anything, leaving razing the warehouse as the only reasonable option. When work begins, officials can use banner printing to keep people updated and safe at the site.