Plumb Place: An Update

This is my 12th post trying to save Plumb Place.

 

Today, I attended a meeting of the city council where the zoning appeal of Plumb Place was considered.

Eli Fowler made an offer on the property in December, an offer contingent on getting a zoning change. His offer was accepted.

In March, the zoning commission tabled his request.

In April, the zoning commission denied his request. Fowler filed an appeal.

Shortly thereafter, the property was AT LAST listed on multiple listing service (MLS). This should have been done from Day 1, not six or so months into the process.

This seeming good news soon proved surreal, as the listing agent told potential buyers that offers were not being accepted.

I called the de facto owner, receiver Kevin Flott, and complained about this. His response: “I was not informed about that.”

Soon thereafter, the listing agent did a 180-degree turn and began returning calls and taking offers. I have heard good things about her since.

Fowler then reportedly dropped the contingency from his offer.

If true, Fowler was now willing to buy the property without a zoning change. He did not however withdraw the zoning appeal, causing a lot of people time and effort.

Today, the city council unanimously denied the appeal. The council, too, noted how badly the whole sale of the property had been handled.

Fowler did not bother to attend the meeting.

 

 

The property is still listed for sale, and Flott has stated that offers are still being considered. His contact info:

620 475 3213.

kflott@bankcsb.biz

 

 

I wrote to Flott about a potential insurance scam regarding the property. I do not know if this is being pursued.

 

 

8 Comments

  1. mlaiuppa on May 18, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    Emporia Gazette reported on the meeting.

    http://www.emporiagazette.com/gaz/article_500e8506-d6c9-11ec-8178-1f00a4d9f862.html?utm_source=emporiagazette.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1652898624&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

    Perhaps Eli has decided to try for a zoning variance again after buying the property. Or perhaps he figures he can still get it fairly cheap, then flip it for a profit since there is now so much added interest in it. Or maybe he isn’t going to bother any more.

    Who knows?

    It is thanks to Ross for bringing all of this to the public’s attention and getting Plumb Place the offers it deserves. If Plumb Place is saved, it is all due to Ross.

    I only hope Plumb Place goes to someone who not only loves it but has the resources to restore it and the sensitivity to keep the character of the house as original as possible. It is a fabulous property. Like many others, I love that library. I’ve seen teasers of clawfoot tubs and a double drainboard sink, albeit in white. I’ve tried to visualize the floor plans based on the photos and what I would do. If I won the lottery I would make an offer with an escalation clause and pay cash up front. But even if I bought a ticket today and won it would likely take longer to get the money than offers would be accepted. I’d have too much too late.

    I still have high hopes for the place. I would love to read enthusiastic updates with photos from Ross about his new neighbors rather than read reports of how the house is being bastardized.

  2. Leigh on May 19, 2022 at 1:14 am

    Yes, mlaiuppa, Ross brought to the public attention the situation about the Plumb Place. It will be such a historic loss if the structure is to be flipped without regard to the Plumb Place’s connection to one of Emporia’s founding fathers: Preston Bierce Plumb, or to the generosity of the Plumb family when they donated the Plumb Place, the carriage house and the lot to the city.

  3. JP on May 19, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    It’s so funny and typical Eli didn’t even attend the meeting. Shows how much he truly cares. While I am partial to housing development and I don’t know the state of Emporia’s housing shortage or lack thereof, there are sensitive and insensitive ways to develop a property and it sounds like this one would have been handled rather insensitively- not to even mention the shenanigans regarding the “sale” of this property thus far. I hope whoever ends up getting the property takes the original architectural value of the house into account when giving it a new lease on life, and thanks for being such an advocate and whistleblower for the house, Ross.

  4. Cindy Belanger on May 19, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    This sounds like good news for Plumb Place. Thanks to you Ross, everything is out in the open. There are quite a few people interested in buying Plumb Place and doing a proper restoration. I do hope the buyer truly appreciates how special the house is.

  5. morgan on May 22, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    Anyone know if they have received any other offers? Sadly, I couldn’t swing it with all else I have going on but several said they were seriously looking at it

  6. mlaiuppa on May 24, 2022 at 6:16 pm

    Has Plumb Place been sold? Trulia shows the listing has been removed as of May 22.

    • Ashley F on May 26, 2022 at 10:13 am

      It’s not sold yet. They’ve moved into the final phase, 5 offers were selected to present to the judge. A date currently hasn’t been set for that review.

  7. Mike on June 16, 2022 at 10:43 am

    Any update on Plumb Place?

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