At a Waterloo City Council work session, members of the Historic Preservation Commission and Walnut neighborhood residents urged the council to pause plans to demolish 521 Pine Street and to give developers more time to consider rehabilitation. Noel Anderson, community planning and development director, told the council the city acquired the property in March 2016 and that efforts to secure a developer had not succeeded.

The Historic Preservation Commission and neighborhood resident Yvonne Volchev asked the council to delay demolition. “We’re reluctant to vote in favor of the property being demolished,” Volchev said, adding that the Walnut neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and that the house contributes to the neighborhood’s character.

Volchev said Habitat for Humanity and a developer known as JSA have previously evaluated nearby properties; Habitat took a different Pine Street property and JSA completed work on other houses but does not currently have capacity for 521 Pine. She offered to organize neighborhood volunteers to clean and board the building to slow deterioration and urged the city to consider small, front-end interventions to limit further damage while a long-term solution is sought. “If the city can commit some dollars to just repair the hole on the north side, I would be happy to volunteer some of my own time to help with the additional upkeep,” she said.

Anderson told the council the property was surveyed for architectural significance and carries an A rating for architecture though it does not have a separate historical-significance rating in the staff paperwork. He said the city and preservation commissioners have shown the property to multiple potential developers over the years but that interest has been limited; commissioners had previously tabled an action in March 2025 to try to find additional developers.

Councilmember Nichols asked whether the city had an estimate to stabilize the building to halt deterioration; Anderson answered that basic stabilization of the roof and foundation could reach about $70,000. Volchev told the council she had calculated demolition and related abatement costs at roughly $5,060,000 if the building were torn down, and she urged the council to weigh the demolition expense against preservation efforts.

No formal vote or directive was taken during the work session on 521 Pine Street. Council members asked staff and commissioners to remain available for follow-up questions; Anderson and members of the Historic Preservation Commission said they would provide additional information to the council if requested. The council did not adopt a demolition order or a preservation plan during the session.