Sheldon House (photo by SUNY JCC)
JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council will be voting Monday night on a resolution involving the sale of the Sheldon House from Jamestown Community College to the Lynn Development Group.
As one of the three hosting municipalities of the college the city is required to sign off on any property transaction involving JCC, including selling the historic Sheldon House, which is located at the corner of Lakeview Ave. and Falconer St. The Lynn Group has offered $240,000 to purchase the home as is from JCC and plans to use it for office space.
However, because the home is located in an area that is zoned for residential use only, some residents are opposed to the sale and have voiced their opposition to the granting of a variance by the city zoning board that would permit the office space use. Representatives of the group have also gone before the city council to request that it oppose the sale on the grounds that another buyer has come forward with an offer to purchase the home for $200,000 and keep it for residential use only.
Despite the opposition from the group, members of the city council appear ready to grant their approval of the sale, with council president Greg Rabb – who also is a resident of the Lakeview Ave. area – announcing his support of the sale in an email late last week.
Jamestown City Council President Gregory Rabb
Rabb said he will be unable to attend tonight’s meeting but wanted to go on the record as being in support of the sale and also urging his fellow council members to vote in support of it as well:
I come to this decision after much thought and consideration and only yesterday and today have I taken a public stand on the issue after doing my best to listen to all sides on the issue and at after delaying consideration of the resolution by the city council by one week to give everyone an opportunity to speak.
I am a neighbor of the Sheldon House as a Lakeview Avenue resident and have been a faculty member at JCC for 30 years as of the end of this academic year. My heart is in the city, the neighborhood, and the college. Like so many I have fond memories of events taking place at the Sheldon House including the wedding of one of my nephews. Early in the process I met with the college and urged them to keep the Sheldon House. I went to and listened to the arguments made at the zoning board. I met with the consultant retained by the college. Many of my neighbors are in favor of the sale and many oppose it and I plan to continue to live on Lakeview Avenue working with my neighbors to continue the improvements of the recent past to make our neighborhood an even better place. I am convinced that selling the house to Lynn will be another step in the right direction to improve our neighborhood. I also know that others disagree. But my mind tells me this is the right thing to do. We were elected to make decisions and so I am urging a yes vote after complete and careful consideration.
In addition to the city being required to grant approval of the sale, it must also be approved by Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County – the two other JCC hosting municipalities. Cattaraugus County has already given its approval while the Chautauqua County Legislature will act on a similar resolution this Wednesday.
If all three agencies approve, the sale will then go before the SUNY Board of Trustees in June for its review and final approval.
Monday’s Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
There is an official offer that has been submitted to JCC that’s “as-is”, keeps the zoning the same (residential), and is higher than the Lynn Development offer. How in the world can a sale to Lynn be approved when there’s a better offer on the table?!