A popular restaurant located in an old train depot in downtown Norcross the past 20 years will have to relocate after its lease wasn't renewed by the city.

Norcross Station Café owner Ken Weatherford says when his 15-year lease expired earlier this year, he was told he would have to submit a bid.
"When I submitted my request to renew in November, it went unanswered until August of this year," he tells WSB's Sandra Parrish.

Before submitting a bid, he was told whoever occupies it would now be responsible for the exterior of the 104-year-old building as well as its roof.  Both had been previously the city's responsibility.  He says it would also require $60,000 in plumbing upgrades. 

Weatherford says he factored all of those expenses when submitting his bid to lease the building for $3,000 a month, $1,000 lower than his current rent.

But the owner of the Cuban restaurant across the street submitted a bid of $7,500 and won.  He plans to open up a second restaurant in the depot.

"This wasn't anyway in my imagination that something like this could happen here," says Weatherford.  "You always want to go out on your own terms if you can."

He doesn't understand why after all these years, and the $250,000 in estimated improvements he's made to the building, that he was now required to submit a bid in order to stay.

Mayor Bucky Johnson says that's how cities are required to do business.
"It's just like any business or anybody in their personal budget," he says.  "When opportunities come up, you want to be sure you take the best advantage of that opportunity."

Johnson says besides money, bidders were also required to keep the same type of cuisine and have experience as a successful restaurateur.

For now, Weatherford says he plans to operate the Norcross Station until the end of the year before finding a new location.

"Once we're gone, I'm sure a lot of people will remember what was here," he says.