Arts Center Expects Final Lease Approval Monday

The city clearly does not want the former Christian Science Church at 801 Magnolia Ave, which has been idling for years since the city bought the building in 2003, to fall vacant again.

Less than two months after the newly incorporated Piedmont Center for the Arts bringing the dilapidated space back to life, City Council is expected to give final approval Monday evening to a 10-year lease.

The city is embracing PCA's proposal for a rent-free lease (the arts center will pay the city a dollar a year as a token) in exchange for getting the building into working order and covering operating expenses.

PCA has already started raising money to cover all improvements that will be required under the agreement—from replacing the roof and the furnace to painting inside and out. Bids for all the work add up to more than $75,000. The organization has estimated the cost of keeping the lights on and the water running at $14,400 a year, which it plans to offset by renting some space to other non-profits such as the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir.

Under the lease agreement, the new tenant will be required to keep the facility occupied and open for business Monday through Sunday from at least 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

PCA is guaranteed the space for at least seven years, ‪but a clause added since the first reading of the lease ordinance on April 18 allows the city to cancel the lease in the sixth year with a year’s notice.‬ If the city does decide to end the lease early, it would have to reimburse the arts center a pro-rated portion of the cost of fixing up the building according to the new provisions.

Assuming the lease is approved, PCA would get the keys June 1 and hopes to be up and running by August.