A project in downtown Jefferson that’s been on hold for a couple of weeks has finally been given the “green light” to proceed.

A roof project at 100 East State Street, known as the former Angie’s Teagarden, was on hold due to the only quote received being over the maximum limit of tax increment financing (TIF) funds available in the City’s Urban Renewal Plan. The plan the Council previously approved allowed for a maximum of $150,000 per building in the Urban Renewal Plan to utilize TIF funds, with a maximum yearly limit of $600,000. The quote was over $217,000 to completely replace the roof and remove the framing. 

At last week’s Jefferson City Council meeting, the Council approved an amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan by removing the $150,000 per building limitation but keeping the yearly limit of TIF funds to $600,000. City Administrator Mike Palmer says the contractor, Westbrook Construction Company, can now start on the roof project, and adds the City will keep close tabs on the $600,000 limit to make sure not to go over that mark. He explains how the City can utilize more TIF funds per building the City owns to finish out renovation projects.

“The good thing about limiting it to $600,000 per year is that it allows us to budget out for years in advance to get these buildings done. It’s not intended to be a “forever” thing. We have certain buildings, as people know, some of them will take the $600,000 over several years but at least we can budget that on a long-term basis until we get them done.”

The former Angie’s Teagarden building was forced to close in February of 2019 following a broken waterline from the upstairs abandoned apartment that flooded the restaurant area with 4,000 gallons of water. The roof project is anticipated to take 3-5 months to complete. Once initial renovations are done to the building, the City plans to hand it over to a private investment group called Why Not Us.