Sparks fly over condition of building in downtown Midway

By Scott White
Woodford Sun Staff

The Board of Architectural Review (BOAR) met for nearly three hours last Tuesday, June 6, as it dealt with an application for a new certificate of appropriateness (COA) sought by Naser Alamdari the owner of a building at 116 East Main Street in downtown Midway.
The City of Midway and county planning officials have long attempted to resolve the failure of Alamdari to follow through on previously approved COAs and building permits. The building, which has an historical overlay, is not just unsightly but poses a threat to public safety, according to neighboring business owners.
Planning Director Steve Hunter began the meeting with a history of the planning and zoning process involving the building since 2016. Hunter stated that contrary to applicable local regulations and state statutes, the original COA was renewed annually which is prohibited.
Thus, from a regulatory perspective, Hunter suggested the most appropriate approach was to approve the new COA with conditions on a tight timeline followed by a new building permit. At that point, the appropriate oversight and enforcement could be undertaken if Alamdari continued to fail to follow through. Hunter indicated he had met with Alamdari, Midway Mayor Stacy Thurman and Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay on the proposed option.
This led to a discussion about the impact of the mistake in renewing the original COA and whether applicable state statutes could offer a solution. Hunter indicated that the board did not have legal counsel to provide an answer and nor is Woodford County Attorney Alan George its counsel. This left several members expressing frustration and confusion on the best way forward.
Alamdari next took to the podium. Rather than speaking in support of his request for a new COA, he claimed the proposal was new to him and that he had not been given a copy of the COA packet until late that afternoon. BOAR member Debra Shockley pointed out that nearly all of the conditions attached to the original and annually renewed COA are contained in the renewed application signed by Alamdari when it was originally approved in 2016.
Alamdari complained that Shockley was being disrespectful to him and accused her of having “an attitude problem.” When others posed questions, he continued to evade or ignore the question with statements of his history of alleged mistreatment by the board as well as various public officials. By the time he was requested to take his seat after a lengthy back and forth with several members and chair Mike Hall, Alamdari never provided any update or reason for not addressing any of the conditions of the original and renewed COAs; nor did he address the current safety hazards the building has created to members of the public and nearby businesses.

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