The Richmond Heights City Council on Tuesday let stand planning and zoning’s decision to allow an urgent care business to buy and demolish the building on the southwest corner of Clayton and Big Bend — replacing it with a new Total Access Urgent Care.
Any council member could have made a motion to review the decision at a later date, but none did.
Deputy Mayor Matt Casey (Mayor Jim Thomson was absent) said he had received quite a few emails opposing the new business. He also noted that the city wasn’t involved in the sale of the building, which went on the market in 2015 and was sold in 2016 to Total Access Urgent Care. He said no tax incentives are involved.
See also: Richmond Heights P&Z OK’s new urgent care facility
Casey also said, and City Manager Amy Hamilton agreed, that the current building, which houses two tenants — Waldbart Florist and Jon Paul Designs — isn’t listed on any register of historic buildings. He said the building is “iconic,” but not historic.
New building owner, and CEO of Total Access Urgent Care, Matt Bruckel, M.D., said the seller asked him not to tell the tenants of the imminent sale.
He said said they have delayed the project until 2018, to allow the businesses to operate through the holiday seasons. Council member, Rick Vilcek, said if that hadn’t happened he should have opposed the plan.
According to county records, the building seller is Big Clay LLC, founded by Kenneth P. Aston, of Town and Country, according to state records.
Bruckel said after the meeting that having the current urgent care business a few blocks to the south and St. Mary’s Hospital to the east will help all three. He said competition is good —comparing it to a Burger King opening near a McDonald’s. He also said that current customers asked them to open a Richmond Heights location.
I guess it’s too late to do anything about this. This is a terrible idea.
I don’t want a new building. I want the same building that is full of character and a landmark to stay the way it is. this is ridiculous.
I vow never to use this Urgent Care
You are definitely not alone. Many, many people have expressed the same both on here and around Richmond Heights. Boycotting is the only power we have as citizens when your city doesn’t listen to you. Well, that and voting out your officials.
This building is, unfortunately, trying to mimic the actual brick building which is already there.
The upcoming demolition of this building is unfortunate and short-sighted.
Agree with Beth Newman. I wish the building could stay. Older buildings give a neighborhood character, and Alex Waldbart is the oldest continually operating florist in town (for good reason — they are terrific!), so it would be nice to keep them in their landmark location.
Why can’t they use the current building???
Disgusting…. RH politicos only care about $$
Richmond Heights doesn’t get it!
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