An effort is underway that could thwart the demolition of a property in Eastern Market by making the entire area a local historic district.

If it ultimately becomes one, it wouldn't just affect Sanford Nelson and his investors, whose Detroit-based Firm Real Estate company owns the property at 2701 Russell St. that is anticipated to be demolished.

Virtually any physical change outside of ordinary maintenance to any building in Eastern Market — ranging from things like masonry work to demolition — would have to be approved by the Historic District Commission if the local historic designation is assigned. That would add another layer of approval needed for improvements by any landlord in a proposed district bounded by Gratiot Avenue, Mack Avenue, the Chrysler Service Drive and St. Aubin Street, and could prevent Firm Real Estate from tearing down the Russell Street property if it doesn't get the HDC's blessing.

At the request of a City Council member James Tate, Janese Chapman, deputy director of the city's Historic Designation Advisory Board, has taken the initial step to getting the city's food hub an interim local historic district designation, which would grant the advisory board plus two ad hoc members a year to study the issue and potentially recommend that City Council grant permanent local historic district status. The request to make Eastern Market a local historic has been a pending before the board for more than a decade at the request of a city resident.

A proposed resolution has been submitted to City Council for its consideration. It's expected to be referred to the Neighborhood and Community Services Committee by the City Council on Tuesday.

Crain's reported last week that Firm Real Estate plans to tear down the 15,000-square-foot property — which Nelson says is four separate buildings with four separate foundations in varying states of deterioration — that houses Mike Coney Island on Eastern Market's main drag.

No timetable for the demolition has been established, nor any plan for what would take its place.

Nelson also said in an interview last week that this is the only building in the company's Eastern Market portfolio of 20 buildings totaling about 250,000 square feet that is anticipated to be torn down. Nelson, the son of serial entrepreneur Linden Nelson, said those interested can email [email protected] with the subject line "2701 Russell Street" and offer suggestions on what should take its place.

"Of course, Eastern Market is an historic district. It's a national treasure," the company said in an emailed statement.

"That's why we are committed to preserving and renewing Eastern Market as the Midwest's premier food-and-arts hub. We embrace this historic district process and value (Eastern Market Partnership President) Dan Carmody's leadership. None of this changes the fact that the building at 2701 Russell is structurally unsound, unsafe, and will eventually need to be replaced with a project that respects the history and architectural integrity of Eastern Market. That won't happen anytime soon and will involve immense community input."

Carmody is listed as an ad hoc member of the advisory board to help study the matter, if council approves it; a city resident would be chosen to serve as the other ad hoc member.

Carmody on Monday morning said the Eastern Market Partnership is "generally in favor of regulatory measures that help us maintain the character of the market."

However, he said, questions to be answered in the study process would include what a local historic district allows versus what a federal designation (as it currently has) allows; how a local historic district works with a zoning overlay district, as is currently under consideration; and how a local historic district would impact improvement to buildings.

"We don't want to become so regulatory that we impact the potential to continue the revitalization of the market district," Carmody said.

Eric Kehoe, president of the board of directors of Preservation Detroit, a historic preservation advocacy group, said he was "glad to see a sense of urgency on behalf of City Council to preserve the character of Eastern Market."

However, he said, it's one piece of a larger series of considerations that need to be taken about things like "affordability and preserving the culture and diversity of the market."

He also wondered whether it would have an effect on the popular Murals in the Market event, scheduled this year from Sept. 14-21, or mural painting in general.

"Not sure, that's why it needs further study," Carmody said.