The city of Buda may start to crack down on aging downtown buildings that are out of compliance with city codes, according to a letter sent out last week to shopkeepers and property owners.
Merchants say they support inspections to remove fire hazards, but are worried that they’ll be forced to undertake costly renovations or face fines for being out of compliance with city codes.
“We wouldn’t want to do anything that would create a hardship or be onerous on the downtown businesses, but we have to consider life safety,” said Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams.
Downtown business owners and property owners received the letters last week saying the city would conduct code enforcement and fire inspections. The condition of some of Main Street’s stock of historic buildings has long been a sensitive point for city leaders and old town merchants.
“After decades of deferred maintenance and inadequate funding, many of these structures are in poor condition,” the letter reads.
With memories of the 1994 fire that ripped through Main Street still fresh in their minds, most downtown merchants say the fire code inspections are necessary and believe they won’t create huge financial burdens.
“I don’t think any of the businesses had a problem with the fire department and what they want to do,” said Eileen Conley, owner of Memory Lane Antiques.
Buda Fire Marshal Mike Duffy said the fire department would be on the lookout for hazards that could start a fire, like wire hanging from the ceiling with the copper exposed; items that would create a danger for fire spreading, like cardboard boxes stacked near electrical panels; and problems with building egress, like back doors chained shut or aisles crammed tight with merchandise.
“There’s some areas that may fall under existing building code, but the bottom line is if it’s not safe they need to bring it up to code,” Duffy said.
However, the fire department inspections would not look at municipal building codes, such as most structural issues, leaky roofs, unsightly conditions or other deferred maintenance, which would fall under the city’s purview.
“We’re all concerned about how things look,” Williams said. “We want it to look nice in downtown Buda.”
Madelyn Uresti, owner of Buda Grocery, said most of the downtown merchants support the fire safety inspections, but are somewhat leery of the city’s efforts at code enforcement and don’t fully understand what the city is looking for.
“I think that is a little bit of a grey area, who’s going to enforce it and to what extent,” Uresti said. “Really, the bottom line is money. I think there should be some money available before they start requiring extensive renovations.”
Conley said she also wasn’t clear about what kind of work the city would require or how stringently they would enforce codes.
“The big problem is I don’t think they really know either,” Conley said. “They say it’ll look better. What does that mean?”
Several downtown merchants said that an economic recession would be a bad time for the city to begin mandating major building renovations. Many shopkeepers have reported slow sales in the last year.
“I think everybody on Main Street is having a big struggle,” Conley said. “There isn’t a lot of business. Everybody is trying to survive.”
Tammy Gray, owner of Buda Drugstore and Soda Fountain and the Chair of the Buda Downtown Merchant Group, warned that the cost of major renovations would trickle down to tenants and could put them out of business.
“I don’t know if any of you are small business owners, but we are a different breed,” Gray told the council. “Most of us don’t get a paycheck like ya’ll all do.”
Gray added, “It’s not that we don’t want Buda to be vibrant. I think it’s just the fear of how that’s going to happen. Where is the money going to come from?”
No money is currently set aside for renovations, Williams said. But Buda’s downtown is registered with the national register of historic places, meaning businesses might be eligible for federal tax credits or historic preservation funds, Williams said.
Buda Councilmember Sandra Tenorio said the code enforcement needed to be done, but said the city should work to find funds to help the property owners.
“This ought to dovetail with some financial relief,” Tenorio said.
Buda Mayor Bobby Lane urged the city to work closely with merchants to help them find solutions.
“We need to really do this in a cooperative spirit,” Lane said. “This doesn’t need to be a gotcha as much as a let’s help each other.”
