I have written to The Citizen several times concerning issues of historic restoration and urban planning. On those occasions I have always tried to avoid criticism and instead use logical arguments to prove certain points.

Yet, after recently reading about the proposed demolition of the Kalet building it has come to my attention that the City of Auburn as well as the Department of Planning and Development cannot be reasoned with.

Planning and Economic Development in Auburn is so devoid of any type of vision that it is sickening. The only positive initiatives currently under way in the city, including the new lofts on Logan Street and the Schine Theater restoration have come from outside parties interested in preserving our heritage.

The urban “renewal” (read: destruction) that devastated Auburn in the 1960s and 1970s was based on the assumption that the levelling of old buildings would leave empty lots that would in turn spur new development. This plan went horribly wrong, with many empty lots remaining as such. Where development did occur, Victorian architecture was replaced by pedestrian examples of mid-century modern, such as the Cayuga County office building, that are about as aesthetically pleasing as burned-out shells.

I fail to understand how levelling the Kalet building and leaving a gaping hole will entice any developer to the site. The proposed $215,000 demolition fee could easily be used to make the building more attractive to investors through repairing broken windows, removing refuse and cleaning the unique art moderne facade. The city could also use this money as the beginning of a city-driven development project with the intention to sell or lease the building on completion. If any kind of foresight existed in city hall, the building could have been redeveloped to house the recently relocated district attorney's office.

Over the past 50 years Auburn has not seen one significant piece of architecture completed, and with the complete lack of any kind of planning controls, the mediocrity just keeps on coming. I would urge anyone who is concerned about historic preservation to voice their opinion on this issue before our nearsighted city leaders take our history one step further down the path to total destruction.

Robert Dusel

Auburn

M.Phil. University of Cambridge: Department of Planning, Growth and Regeneration