Business decisions can be difficult sometimes. Companies have to make the best choices for their bottom line. The situation with the Realty Tower in downtown Youngstown is no different. You have a company, YO Properties 47, and its insurance company, Cincinnati Insurance, looking to make the best business decision for their company moving forward.

To do that, research must be done, studies must be completed, and all avenues must be explored to make sure no stone is left unturned. To make the best-informed decision, one must have all of the information, and this newspaper can understand that.

However, the May 28 explosion at Realty Tower that severely damaged the building and killed one bank worker isn’t just affecting the owners of the building. It’s affecting the residents who were displaced from the 23 units in the building, the 170-plus residents who were moved from their residences in the International Towers across the street and the myriad of businesses in the downtown area, including the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel that the Stambaugh Building houses.

Realty Tower residents haven’t been able to return to their homes since the explosion, and the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel has also remained closed. After a structural engineer, hired by the city, deemed the Realty Tower was in “imminent danger” of collapse, the residents of the International Towers were removed from their homes as well, with the last residents leaving June 14.

After a stalemate between the two sides, the owners of the building decided they were going to raze the building. This decision, however, came before Councilman Julius Olver, D-1st Ward, said at a finance committee meeting on June 20 the Cincinnati-based firm Structural Systems Repair Group told him the building could be “easily” stabilized.

At a press conference Tuesday, Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said the owners of the Realty Tower building had until July 5 to take action. Shortly after the press conference, the owners announced their intentions.

In a letter to Realty Tower tenants, Live Youngstown Proper Management LLC and YO Properties 47, LLC stated, “We can confirm that after consultation with city officials and engineering firms, we have regrettably determined that demolition is the safest long-term solution.”

Razing a historic building — one that stands in the center of downtown — can never be an easy decision, and it shouldn’t be as it provides so much character and history to the downtown area. But, given the circumstances and the number of people affected in this situation, this decision is the best one moving forward.

As Brown said at Tuesday’s press conference, “Do I want a historic building downtown demolished? No. Do I look at that building as the epicenter, the face of your downtown? Yes, but the reality is we can’t do the what ifs.”

If the building were in a different location and there weren’t so many questions surrounding its future, we could certainly support taking the time to figure it out. However, allowing the residents of the International Towers to move back into their apartments and allowing the businesses and downtown area to move forward, is the best move.

We encourage the owners of the Realty Tower to move quickly though. In their letter to tenants, they stated a demolition date had not been determined, so we ask they quickly formulate a plan and communicate that plan with both their residents and the city. We also support their efforts to find a way to allow residents to return to their homes to collect any belongings they can.

In situations like this, decisions are tough and despite the difficulty of the decision, we believe choosing to demolish the Realty Tower building is the best choice to move Youngstown and its downtown residents back to normalcy.