City Manager Tom Ambrosino has requested that the City Council schedule a hearing and authorize an eminent domain taking of the Salvation Army Store located at 440 Broadway as part of efforts to revitalize the downtown area.
Several weeks prior, Ambrosino indicated to the Record that he was considering this approach, though he expressed some uncertainty at that time. His resolve has since solidified.
“The City’s decision to pursue this taking was not done without considerable thought,” he wrote the Council. “It is not generally my desire to acquire private property in this aggressive manner, notwithstanding important public needs. However, in this case, I feel the decision is necessary…With the recent closing of the Salvation Army store and its expected sale, the City has no control over what new use might occupy the space and no way of ensuring that such new use is not even more detrimental to the City’s Broadway improvement efforts.”
During Monday night’s Council meeting, Ambrosino presented a recent appraisal of the property, which determined the fair market value as of May 4 to be $1.34 million.
According to Ambrosino, the goal is to enable the City to improve this downtown section through either new construction or renovation, with commercial space on the ground floor and affordable residential units above.
Ambrosino recommended that the City draw from its Free Cash account, which currently contains approximately $34 million, to cover the cost of the taking.
The Council advanced the Free Cash request to a Second Reading scheduled for the next meeting, where action is anticipated. Additionally, they scheduled a public hearing on the Order of Taking for June 19.