It was a busy weekend for some neighbors in the 12 South neighborhood, as they tried to figure out if a local developer was going against Metro Code when he went ahead with a building demolition despite a posted order telling developers to stop.
The home is located at 921 Waldkirch Avenue.
On Saturday morning, the home, which has plans of being fully demolished, had a stop work order placed on it -- after the Metro Planning commission recommended a building protection measure called a conservation overlay in the neighborhood to preserve homes that contribute to its historic nature.
So imagine the neighbors shock when on Saturday -- neighbors say the work didn't stop -- equipment was hard at work continuing to demolish the home.
That left some neighbors wondering if the developer -- William Smallman of the Magness Group -- violated metro codes when his crews demolished the home.
But as it turns out, Metro Codes says by the technical definition, demolition had already started on the inside of the house before the planning commission approved the conservation overlay.
That means the protective status would not apply to that home already under demolition.
Despite the shock of seeing the home torn down -- neighbors say they're glad to hear the rules are being followed.
"We're the stewards of our city," said Nathan Hubbard, a neighbor on Waldkirch Avenue. "It'll be here long past us, and understanding that, I think, puts a good perspective on how we should preserve our culture."
