Latrobe nonprofit buys former chiropractic building, plans demolition, redevelopment

A former Latrobe chiropractic office and adjoining house condemned by city officials in April could give way to a new use if a local nonprofit’s plans come to fruition.

Latrobe Community Revitalization Program purchased the property at 1207 Ligonier St. in late August for $28,000. Jarod Trunzo, executive director of the program, said the move is part of a citywide strategy to remediate and prevent blight.

He said the nonprofit acted quickly when the property came on the market.

“There was some concern that someone might attempt to flip it and would return it to a similar state,” he said. “We couldn’t pass up the chance to not only remove a blighted building but also position the parcel correctly for new construction.”

Trunzo said LCRP hopes to partner with a private investor or developer for construction of a new building on the 5,000-square-foot lot that “elevates the downtown and nearby neighborhoods.”

The property is in a zoning district that would allow construction of a residential, commercial or mixed-use building, City Manager Terry Carcella said.

The city condemned the building, which included converted apartments, when it learned water service had been shut off and determined the interior was unfit for habitation. Structural problems include water damage and collapsing ceilings.

Before new development can take place, LCRP has to tear down the building. The nonprofit is applying for funding from Westmoreland County demolition programs to help cover that cost. Latrobe Council last week, Sept. 9, passed a resolution agreeing with the funding application.

Brian Lawrence, executive director of the county redevelopment authority, could not predict how the LCRP application would fare when the county commissioners meet next month to consider demolition funding requests from throughout the county.

“We’ve got lots of projects,” he said. “It might not make it on this year’s demolition funding program. It might get moved to next year.”

He said the Latrobe request likely would be considered among those that might receive a portion of a county demolition fund that draws upon an extra fee charged for documents processed by the county recorder of deeds.

Each Westmoreland municipality may receive no more than $75,000 per calendar year from the fund, but Latrobe has not reached that limit, Lawrence said.

Other than the former chiropractic office, Trunzo said, there is a minimum of blight along the adjoining section of Ligonier Street, which will add to the impact of redeveloping that lot.

“The strategic location of this parcel in relationship to the downtown, the (Adams Memorial Library), Legion Keener Park, options to walk to quality education and places of worship, along with the high traffic count of Ligonier Street, provides the LCRP with a lot of design options for the future use of the site to attract families and new working professionals to Latrobe,” he said.

Trunzo said LCRP hopes next year to begin a more formal program of partnering with the private sector to build new commercial and residential structures on vacant Latrobe lots.

He said the nonprofit plans to continue renovating severely deteriorated buildings to improve the city’s housing stock and create new spaces for business opportunities.