CAMBRIDGE, Md. - City leaders have a solution on what to do with the vacant Club Du Jour building.
Once again, the building is the talk of the town. Thursday day the city held a listening session at the Elks Lodge to discuss the buildings future. The city wants to demolish the building on Chesapeake Ct. and create new homes.
In September, the city bought the property. And before they made a decision with what should be done, they asked for the communities suggestions in October. Some wanted to keep the building, renovate it, and preserve the history of the neighborhood. While others suggested a community center or housing.
City Manager Tom Carroll said he could understand why people would want to keep it. "The neighborhood has lost so much going all the way back to the 1967 fire. I think what I understood in October was a lot of the concern was basically 'hey we don't want to lose anything more. We need the city to have a big plan for what you're going to do to replace it'."
Carroll says renovating the building would cost $1.7 million. Whereas demolishing it would cost around $300 thousand. And the city would only pay $25 thousand because of a state grant.
Carroll explained demolishing the building is the viable option not only because it's cheaper but because they plan to build single family homes across the street.
Carroll says, "we don't think it's worth it. We don't think it's economical to do it. But we think combining the former Club Du Jour property with the other property across the street can be a much better residential development and it will add to the fabric of the pine street neighborhood."
A Dorchester County community member, Latasha, works one block away at the Pine Street Deli. She says the county is in dire need of housing. She says, "I think from what I've heard that the sentimentality of the building should not be taken into consideration. At this point we have a high mass of homelessness, so whatever we can do and the sooner we can get it done will be appreciated."
A decision needed to be discussed to build a better community.