The City Council voted April 28 to authorize the city attorney to pursue eminent domain to acquire a 686.3‑square‑foot fee interest and related temporary easement needed for the ******* Street corridor improvements project; the city will deposit $18,900 into the court registry as the just‑compensation figure from an updated appraisal.

City attorneys explained the updated appraisal increased the amount from a prior August 2024 appraisal figure of $15,400 to $18,900 after the council requested a new valuation. The interest sought is a small strip of right of way with existing site improvements and landscaping. The resolution authorizes the city attorney to exercise the city’s powers of eminent domain if necessary to obtain the property rights required for the corridor work.

A nearby property owner spoke in opposition, saying she was not provided with appraisal backup and believes the compensation is too low. She also submitted a separate quote estimating higher landscaping replacement costs than the credit shown in city materials. “I still don’t believe that that is an equitable amount of money for it,” she told council during public comment and asked that the appraisal use a more recent comparable sale that she said was omitted.

Council approved the condemnation resolution 5–1. The council record did not show individual roll‑call votes in the transcript, but the mayor declared the motion approved by majority vote.

What the action does and next steps

- The council authorized acquiring the property interest either by negotiated purchase or, if that fails, by filing eminent‑domain proceedings and depositing the appraisal amount ($18,900) with the court.
- The city will continue efforts to negotiate with the property owner; if negotiations fail, the condemnation process will proceed and statutory procedures will govern determination of final compensation.
- The resident who spoke asked the council to reconsider the appraisal methodology; the transcript shows the council heard the comment but proceeded with the resolution.

Speakers quoted or cited in this article are those who spoke on the condemnation item at the April 28 meeting and are listed in the article’s speakers field below.