Onus on cigar factories for landmark exclusion
Of 15 factory owners, 10 have said they don't want their properties to be declared historic landmarks.
By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published December 9, 2005
TAMPA - Cigar factory owners who don't want their properties declared historic landmarks will have to justify financially why they should be excluded, the City Council said Thursday.
After a parade of preservationists emphasized the need to protect Tampa's remaining cigar factories, the council postponed a decision on whether to declare as landmarks 15 cigar factories that have not gone through the historic preservation process.
"You can't read the history of Tampa without getting to the cigar industry in about the second paragraph," said preservationist Jo-Anne Peck. "Tampa wouldn't be what it is today without the cigar industry, and these buildings are what we have to remind us of the history."
The council will take up the issue again Feb. 2.
In November, five building owners objected to the designation, which would force them to seek the approval of an architectural review board before making major changes to their buildings. Concerned about violating owners' property rights, the council then agreed that any of the 15 owners could opt out of becoming landmarks.
Ten of the 15 owners, including Bustillo Bros. & Diaz Cigar Factory owner Franklin Sebastian, have told the city they do not want to become landmarks. He said trying to maintain his factory in West Tampa, where people throw rocks into the windows, has been costly, and the added regulations would add more pressure.
"West Tampa has a lot of serious issues, and I think it's unfair to single out property owners without looking at the community as a whole," Sebastian said.
Council members told factory owners Thursday they needed to prove that they cannot afford the cost of preserving their buildings according to historic regulations if they do not want landmark status. Getting that proof would require each owner to hire engineers and architects to do a building study.
"My clients are asking you, "Don't make us cross that bridge.' It's not fair," said attorney John Grandoff, who represents the cigar factory owners opposed to the landmark status.
Stephanie Ferrell, a historic preservation architect, presented a slide show of deteriorating cigar factories with broken windows, damaged facades and additions that threaten authenticity.
The city once had about 200 cigar factories. Today, 26 remain. Of those, one has a local landmark status and 10 are part of the Ybor City Historic District.
Dennis Fernandez, the city's historic preservation manager, said the factories have dwindled because of urban renewal, construction of Interstate 275 and deterioration that led to demolition.
Nicholas Jammal, the owner of the Berriman-Morgan cigar factory in West Tampa, urged the city to re-evaluate the preservation process. He purchased the factory in May 2004 when it was already a historic landmark. He hoped to restore it and convert it to house offices, but because of bureaucratic obstacles, his development has stalled, causing him to lose money.
"Historic preservation is a very beneficial thing for Tampa," he said in an interview Wednesday. "But the city has to make some changes in reference to the process. The process is an unacceptable one and a delaying one."
After he spoke to the council on Thursday, council members decided the city needed to try to create an easier process that wouldn't intimidate cigar factory owners.
Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813 226-3354 or at azayas@sptimes.com