Natchez &8212; State archives and history board chairman William Winter took a look around the controversial pecan factory site Friday.

And the former governor, in town for the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, said he was pleased with the progress city officials are making to ensure the site of future condos on the bluff meets the Department of Archives and History&8217;s standards.

&8220;It looks as if our concerns are being addressed,&8221; he said.

Archives and history has given the city permission to tear down the pecan factory site, pending a geotechnical review of the stability of the bluffs with the added weight of the five-story condo development.

MDAH&8217;s approval is also contingent on the city&8217;s submitting construction documents for the complex and evidence of a signed contract before the former Natchez Pecan Shelling Co. building can be demolished.

Winter met Friday afternoon with Mayor Phillip West, city engineer David Gardner, city attorney Walter Brown and fellow MDAH board member and Natchez resident Duncan Morgan.

Winter was familiar with the blufftop site but had not seen it since MDAH began looking at approval of the site. The board decided the site is a landmark but gave the city permission to demolish it pending the three requirements.

The condo project has inspired some controversy in recent months, first as some residents were unhappy with the mass of the building and later as some opposed the city&8217;s initial plans to tear down the building without MDAH approval.

But Morgan said that controversy may have been healthy for the project.

&8220;I feel strongly a lot was accomplished with the friction,&8221; Morgan said. &8220;It allows people to give input and work out a compromise.&8221;

West told Winter that the condos would likely improve development in that area of downtown.

&8220;We are already beginning to see some impact,&8221; he said. &8220;It will prompt a lot of revitalization in this area.&8221;

Most recently, some have raised concerns about the stability of the bluffs if the condos are built there, in part prompting MDAH&8217;s stipulation for a geotechnical report.

The city had already requested developers Ed Worley and Larry Brown Jr. do an engineering review of the site.

Gardner told Winter the geotechnical engineers working on the project are familiar with the bluff stabilization work, having worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on that multimillion dollar project.