Jason Cooke has a tough decision to make: Should he keep an unofficial Howard County landmark in place and open a new restaurant or tear the old building down and build anew?
Cooke owns the building, on Frederick Road at Folly Quarter Road, that housed the former Friendly Inn, a restaurant and bar that closed in February. The Friendly Inn's closing saddened many longtime regulars, including fans of bluegrass music, but at the time Cooke promised he would open a new, more family-friendly restaurant within a month.
"We weren't making the dollars work to stay open, which was the cause for the change," Cooke said in a recent interview.
But former regulars are still waiting for the new eatery and wondering what will happen to the space.
"Our neighbors, and all our friends are asking about it," said Ellicott City resident Jean Carr. "We used to go there all the time."
Cooke said the delay is due to an unexpected hiccup in his plans to renovate the building before opening a new restaurant.
In order to renovate, Cooke needs a building permit. But if he gets a permit, Cooke said, the building would lose its "grandfathered" status and need major upgrades to comply with the county's building code.
Bringing the century-old building up to code would be costly, and Cooke said he's not sure if the return is worth it.
"I've got a lot of people wondering what's going on, and a lot of people excited about something new and different," Cooke said. "But it has got to make business sense right now to move forward with something like this.
"It has just been quicksand trying to figure out what to do here."
The property is zoned for commercial use, so if Cooke chooses to rebuild, anything from a restaurant to a clothing store could operate in the space.
Cooke said that since he purchased the former roadhouse in 2008, he's anticipated redeveloping the entire site.
However, "the state of the economy and lending has slowed all of that down," Cooke said, explaining that if he chooses to build anew, he'd be looking for investors to help share the cost.
"A restaurant site there is a great use for the space, but I am evaluating all the options," Cooke said.
Mildred Clark, who used to frequent the Friendly Inn, said the location is ideal for a restaurant because it is convenient for residents on the west side of Ellicott City.
"You have to go out to Route 40 most of the time to get to a restaurant, but this was like a little in-between spot," she said.
In addition, she noted, the property is next to a large community of newly built homes. "I would imagine that's a plus," she said.
Clark said she hopes the building stays: "That's a landmark; its been there quite a while."
Carr called the location "cozy."
"It's been there for years and years. I'd hate to see it just torn down," she said.