newsobserver.com blogs
Raleigh moves a step closer to a "declaration of war"
Submitted by dbracken on 07/02/2008 - 13:26
As mentioned earlier, the City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to allow a condemnation lawsuit to be filed against The Simpson Organization, owner of the Bank of America building and the underground parking garage under Fayetteville Street. (The vote took place with little comment from council members. Philip Isley was the only member to vote no. Mayor Charles Meeker Meeker recused himself from the vote because an attorney in his law firm is representing Simpson.)
The city attorney’s office could file a condemnation lawsuit as soon as July 15. The goal would be to obtain the easements the city needs to put the plaza and roadway over TSO's property. City Manager Russell Allen told the council on Tuesday that the drawn out negotiations with Simpson are costing the city money. Since May 2007, he said, the price of building the plaza has increased 10 percent, or more than $2 million, because of rising construction costs.
“Time is critical here,” Allen said. “Time is also money.”
If a law suit is filed, it is likely to be ugly. In e-mails to Allen late last week Boyd Simpson, TSO's president, said a condemnation action by the city would be viewed as a "declaration of war." Boyd Simpson sent a letter to Allen on Monday warning the city not to pursue condemnation against his company. The company submitted another document titled “Facts Regarding Negotiation of City Plaza Easement” to the City Council on Tuesday. Both are attached.
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Comments
History of the land?
Sun, 07/06/2008 - 10:04 — eredog (not verified)So how much did government get for the land to begin with?
It was originally Lenior Street, right? as was the land that the two office towers are built on.
Seems like when government turns over publicly-owned land to private entities there should be provision (with appropriate compensation) for it reverting to public use when the need arises.
Maybe the N&O could find and report the background on the property so that everybody knows who got what when and how much. If the info is too long and involved to put in the printed version, it could still be posted online.
This underscores the dire
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 15:00 — jonoflockeThis underscores the dire need in this state for a constitutional amendment to protect citizens from eminent domain abuse:
http://www.johnlocke.org/press_releases/display_story.html?id=260
Oh well.....
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 14:13 — WuptdoDarn it. I was hoping it would be a real war: Inside-the-beltline "haves" vs. Outside-the-beltline "have nots." Being a poor "have not" I hate watching the leeches of the "City of Raleigh" sucking off the taxpayers of Wake County. The "City of Raleigh" is nothing more than a black hole for county taxdollars; money goes in, and nothing comes out. It is truly a win/lose for country residents. Oh well, someday there will be "pay-back!"