Downtown Building Owner Posts Sign Over Weekend
This sign was put up Saturday afternoon and taken down on Sunday.
A downtown building owner uses some weekend signage to voice frustration.
On Saturday afternoon, a sign went up on the front of a building owned by Robert Crumley in downtown Toccoa, the former Green’s Department Store at 26 Doyle Street.
The sign said “No Welcome Mat in Toccoa.”
When reached this week about the sign, Crumley said only that the sign is related to the situation he finds himself in with the building and the city of Toccoa’s Historic Preservation Commission.
In July, the HPC rejected Crumley’s application to perform major exterior building renovations to the building.
Back in May, the HPC met with Crumley on the property and gave preliminary approval for Crumley to begin on exterior renovations with final approval on his required Certificate of Appropriateness to have been given in June provided that the building’s original footprint was maintained and a drawing of the proposed work was provided.
However, the HPC did not grant final approval in June, expressing concern that they had not been given a drawing far enough in advance of the meeting to study it and also expressing reservations about some of Crumley’s plans for the facade and the bulkhead walls for the building.
Last month, HPC members continued to express reservations about Crumley’s proposal and say that his COA request to do the work was still not complete.
Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said that the city did send Crumley a cease-and desist letter to stop work on the building because he did not have HPC approval and as a result, did not have a building permit.
Morse said the city wants to be able to work with him to complete the building.
“We are committed to working with him,” said Morse. “We appreciate what he has done for the building and for downtown.”
The sign came down on Sunday.