NATCHEZ &045; Hoping to resolve controversy centered on design of proposed river-bluff condominiums, the Historic Natchez Foundation is prepared to hire a team of architects to prepare new drawings for the project.

&uot;We are committed to bringing together a team of diverse architectural professionals who are experienced in integrating new construction into historic districts,&uot; said Ronald W. Miller, executive director of the Foundation, in a letter sent to Natchez Mayor Phillip West.The condominiums in question are proposed for property associated with the Natchez Pecan Shelling Co., a city-owned site on the bluff at the northern end of Broadway Street.

At a Natchez Preservation Commission meeting on Sept. 19, the second at which the design was discussed with commission members, Natchez developers Edward Worley and Larry Brown said they were willing to work with the commission to adapt the design of the two six-story buildings, including removing stories and reducing the number of condominiums from 72 to about 53.

&uot;Larry Brown expressed his willingness to work with the Preservation Commission at Monday night’s meeting, particularly in lowering the number of stories,&uot; Miller said. &uot;He asked the commission if they would approve a three-story design.&uot;

The Historic Natchez Foundation &uot;has no preconceived idea of what the number of units should be and will work to ensure the maximum number possible within the context of the ordinance and the design guidelines,&uot; Miller said.

Dennis Switzer, president of the Foundation board, said he and others on the board &uot;are excited about the idea of the project but only if it’s within the preservation ordinance guidelines.&uot;

Most board members are business owners, Switzer said. &uot;Most of us have a stake in this as economic development. We’d love to see it work, but within the ordinance. We thought we could facilitate that.&uot;

The Foundation will schedule a series of design meetings with the architects to last several days, Miller said. Some of the best design professionals available will be among those asked to take part. They will be paid by the Foundation. &uot;We should be able to produce one or more designs that respond to the preservation ordinance and the guidelines followed by the commission,&uot; Miller said. &uot;We have invited the developers to participate fully in the process. We will also include the city planner and a representative from the Department of Archives and History.&uot;

Alderman David Massey had a positive reaction to the Foundation proposal, saying, &uot;We need to do this, but we need to do it right.&uot;

Massey said the feeling among aldermen is that &uot;once plan A failed, they (developers) should have a plan B.&uot; He said input from people who want to help is welcome, and the Foundation’s offer is &uot;an olive branch thrown to us. Hopefully, we can get this thing done and make everybody happy.&uot;

Miller said elected officials and members of the Preservation Commission also are welcome to observe the designers at work. Further, the designs resulting from the Foundation’s project will be available to the city in the event Worley and Brown opt out of the negotiations on the property.

Natchez aldermen have invited Preservation Commission members to meet with them today at 6 p.m. at the council chambers on South Pearl Street across from City Hall to discuss ways to work out design problems commission members cited at the Sept. 19 meeting. The commission tabled the developers’ request for design approval at that meeting.

The public can attend the meeting today. However, aldermen, after opening the meeting in public, have the option to vote to go into an executive session, a move that is allowed by law for discussion of certain matters, including property negotiations. The executive session excludes the public.

Massey said if a refigured design results in fewer than 72 condominiums, a new contract could be necessary. &uot;That’s what sold us on them, that it might bring in $300,000 a year in new property taxes,&uot; he said of the Worley-Brown plan. &uot;That’s on a $19.5-million investment. It was a slam-dunk with us. &uot;

Worley and Brown paid $50,000 in August for an option on the property with a plan to buy the property for $500,000 to build the condominiums