WAS THE $200,000 SOLARIS GRANT FOR AN EMPTY LOT OR FOR A BUILDING ON A LOT?

 We reported that the $200,000 award to Solaris Management Solutions, L.L.C. seemed suspect because the address listed on the grant application, 754 East Levee seemed to nothing more than a vacant lot, not a building needing "activation of the upper floors or basement" as specified in the application.

BIG 2.0 guidelines require an existing building.

We used Juan Montoya's picture on the El Rrun Rrun blog of a vacant lot to raise a question about that particular grant's efficacy.

After our last story, BCIC CEO Josh Mejia left a comment:  "We did mention in the meeting the "vacant lot" includes the Goodyear Tire Building that is still on Levee Street.

So, we went downtown to investigate.

We found on the east side of the block, consistent with the 754 East Levee Street address given by Solaris Management Solutions, L.L.C. in their grant request, a half block with no buildings, just a pile of bricks and concrete, a sign showing Solaris had a demolition permit and a dropped off dumpster.

The half block was blocked off with a chain fence, so it would be easy to assume the application was for the half block, especially given the address 754 East Levee Street.

Checking the building next door, on the other half of the block, we found a different address, 734 East Levee Street.

But wait!  

There was a permit, issued to Solaris Management Solutions, dated 7/29/2021 with yet another address; 744 East Levee Street.

Walking around to the front of the building on Levee, we saw the number 700 actually on the building.

We may have identified the reason for confusion.

While the permit application lists the address as 754 East Levee Street, the actual property includes 700, 734, 744 and 754 East Levee Street, or to simplify it; 700-754 East Levee Street.