A property situated on Tudor Street finds itself practically surrounded by the Clark Avenue School. City Manager Tom Ambrosino has been pushing for the municipality to pursue acquisition of this parcel, provided that satisfactory terms can be negotiated with its current owner.
City Manager Tom Ambrosino has put in a request to the City Council for an appraisal of a home at 29 Tudor St. – next to the new Clark Avenue School.
Ambrosino said he would like the City to take the property by eminent domain if, and only if, the owner is amendable to the deal. He said the new school project is just too close to her property and would be a real hardship upon her.
“She’s in a tough spot,” he said of the owner. “Even after construction is completed, she’ll be very, very close to the dumpster, the music room and the loading dock. She’s right on top of this project, unfortunately, in a way that no other abutter is.”
Ambrosino requested $2,500 for the appraisal, which is the first step towards acquisition of the property.
He wrote the Council that he saw the property as problematic from his first days.
“I have been convinced form my first days here that this house should be considered for acquisition, provided that the owner was amendable,” he wrote. “In recent conversations, the owner of 29 Tudor St. has indicated at least a willingness to consider a purchase by the City. But, before any serious discussions about acquisition can occur, the City needs an independent appraisal.”
Ambrosino said there is no guarantee that t
This home on Tudor Street is literally engulfed by the Clark Avenue School, and City Manager Tom Ambrosino
is advocating the taking of the property if terms can be agreed upon with the owner.
he City will be able to reach an agreement with the owner. He also said they will not proceed without her permission.
Urban school development projects frequently necessitate property acquisitions through taking. Unlike standard market transactions, such takings carry substantial expenses that cannot be covered by state funding sources. The financial burden would rest entirely with the City’s contribution to the overall project cost.