Good bye Battles/Campus town liquors building

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Originally Posted by JP4CY

I hope no one buys CBS and the a-hole sits on it forever. I was in there shopping for Christmas gifts (t shirts and sweat shirts) and he sent some one outside to collect license plate info to get vehicles towed. Apparently they were very anal about their parking situation there.

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with how many students that pry try to park there to go to class every day and the lack of off street parking besides his lot i can't say i blame him...

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Originally Posted by cyclonehokiece

My bet is it will sit empty for awhile. With the underground storage tanks, there is some environmental cleanup that will be necessary, making it a less than ideal site.

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Exactly. As someone with experience in environmental law, I would also be willing to bet the old Kum-and-Go location at Welch and Chamberlain sits empty for awhile.

In addition to the risks and costs associated with underground storage tanks, including contaminated soil and the prospect of removing the tanks (which can cost a lot depending on the type of tanks), gas stations often have other environmental problems. It's not uncommon to find illegal antifreeze disposal, battery disposal, etc. around gas stations. Worse, there could be groundwater contamination. This is in addition to the typical risks of lead piping, asbestos, etc. that often accompany older buildings. When was that building built?

Any prospective buyer would conduct a Phase I investigation (and possibly a Phase II if warranted) to see what kind of remediation would need to be done. While Kum-and-Go is certainly liable as the past owner / operator of the property, federal environmental law would also impose liability on a new owner / operator. Thus, if there are serious environmental risks disclosed by a Phase I, even a tenant, not just a prospective buyer, could be taking on astronomical risk from the owner (which isn't easy to contract around). Unless the tenant negotiates a super deal with the owner which properly accounts for that risk from the tenant's perspective, we're unlikely to see that spot occupied for some time.

The good thing about that property is that it's in a fantastic location. Thus, there will certainly be interested buyers, but we'll only see action quickly if the environmental risks prove to be relatively clear and the price of those risks is fairly built into the negotiation. If Kum-and-Go owns the lot, I bet we'll see a new tenant / owner within 6 months to a year. If it's an individual around Ames, it's anybody's guess. It could sit empty as an eyesore for years. That, in my opinion, is sad because that corner is fundamental to campus town and to see it sit empty would detract from the atmosphere.

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Originally Posted by Chitowncy

Exactly. As someone with experience in environmental law, I would also be willing to bet the old Kum-and-Go location at Welch and Chamberlain sits empty for awhile.

In addition to the risks and costs associated with underground storage tanks, including contaminated soil and the prospect of removing the tanks (which can cost a lot depending on the type of tanks), gas stations often have other environmental problems. It's not uncommon to find illegal antifreeze disposal, battery disposal, etc. around gas stations. Worse, there could be groundwater contamination. This is in addition to the typical risks of lead piping, asbestos, etc. that often accompany older buildings. When was that building built?

Any prospective buyer would conduct a Phase I investigation (and possibly a Phase II if warranted) to see what kind of remediation would need to be done. While Kum-and-Go is certainly liable as the past owner / operator of the property, federal environmental law would also impose liability on a new owner / operator. Thus, if there are serious environmental risks disclosed by a Phase I, even a tenant, not just a prospective buyer, could be taking on astronomical risk from the owner (which isn't easy to contract around). Unless the tenant negotiates a super deal with the owner which properly accounts for that risk from the tenant's perspective, we're unlikely to see that spot occupied for some time.

The good thing about that property is that it's in a fantastic location. Thus, there will certainly be interested buyers, but we'll only see action quickly if the environmental risks prove to be relatively clear and the price of those risks is fairly built into the negotiation. If Kum-and-Go owns the lot, I bet we'll see a new tenant / owner within 6 months to a year. If it's an individual around Ames, it's anybody's guess. It could sit empty as an eyesore for years. That, in my opinion, is sad because that corner is fundamental to campus town and to see it sit empty would detract from the atmosphere.

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Not only that, but I'm sure the State Historical Preservation Office will get involved as well, making it an even longer process.

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Originally Posted by abe2010

with how many students that pry try to park there to go to class every day and the lack of off street parking besides his lot i can't say i blame him...

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I worked for the guy for a semester.... trust me he's an *** hole and it extends beyond him getting the occasional student trying to take advantage of him

Did enjoy the merchandize there though

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Originally Posted by BloodyBuddy

Why does campus town need a huge gas station? The city of Ames has repeatedly failed to do something worth while with the area, ISU has to have the worst campustown in the country.

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Kum and Go seems to have a good business plan and doing very well for itself. If Casesy's didnt have dounats and Pizza they would really be putting the hurt on them,,

Kum and Go sells gas to get you into the store They make money on junk food, candy, pop, beer, and cigs.

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Originally Posted by JP4CY

I hope no one buys CBS and the a-hole sits on it forever. I was in there shopping for Christmas gifts (t shirts and sweat shirts) and he sent some one outside to collect license plate info to get vehicles towed. Apparently they were very anal about their parking situation there.

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How awful for someone to not want random cars clogging up their lot during their open hours. Who does he think he is??