Community members with differing opinions filled the Cadiz City Council meeting room Tuesday night to talk about a doctor’s office taking over the building that formally housed Cadiz Florist on Main Street.
The discussion lasted nearly 40 minutes during the public comments portion of the city council’s regular meeting. During the discussion, prominent community member and Main Street homeowner Paul Fourshee told the council he was opposed to the building being used to house the practice of Dr. Vaishali Patel and Dr. Harshul Patel.
Many comments during the meeting referenced an ordinance about a commercial building in a historic residential district being vacant for a year meant it turned back to a residential property. City attorney Allen Wilson told council members it seems they are talking about a state law concerning non-conforming use, which is not occurring with this property.
Former council member Jeannie Bodine, who can see the empty building from her bedroom window, said she was a part of the early conversations concerning the building last year. Bodine added the community needs to stop chasing businesses away and let them use the building.
Trigg County Medical Clinic currently operates in the Medical Arts building at Trigg County Hospital. The process for getting a conditional use permit has been ongoing for at least a year. Wilson said the board of adjustments, a part of the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission, has not made a decision on the conditional use permit.
Wilson added after action from the board of adjustments; the city would consider their recommendation at a future meeting.
The building in question at 116 Main Street is not historical, according to the council. Some members even agree that the building, constructed after the original building next door caught fire, could not be turned into a living space.
The issue now lies at the feet of the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission, which has not held a meeting in a couple of months.
During the February meeting, Cadiz City Council approved beginning the process of changing the ordinance to allow the medical practice to move into the building.
Even after the conditional use permit is approved, the Patels would then need to seek approval from the planning commission to renovate the building to suit their needs.
