City Takes Steps to Purchase Site for Parking Structure

By Jorge Casuso and Teresa Rochester

Facing recalcitrant property owners who said they didn't want to sell, the City Council Tuesday night took steps to eminent domain a site for a new parking structure downtown.

The council voted to spend $75,000 to conduct environmental site assessments of properties at 1600 Lincoln Boulevard and 700-720 Colorado Avenue, which are being targeted as potential sites to expand the city's Transportation Department.

The property chosen will be the site of a 450-space parking structure that could be used for employees of the Third Street Promenade, who currently use up scarce parking in the city's six public lots.

The site will likely also house offices for the transportation department and the Ocean Park Community Center's drop in facility, which must relocate to make room for the expansion of the city's bus yards.

"It's not our intention to sell the property," said Fredrick Nason, who owns the property at 700-720 Colorado. "We realize there is eminent domain, but we want to hold on to it. I don't understand why you want to spend $75,000 when we don't want to sell."

"With the purchase of these two properties, the bottom line is I'd go out of business," said Ron Michael, who owns a shop on the property. "I spent 18 years doing this. Everybody says they don't want to sell, and I don't understand why you need to study a land that no one wants to sell."

The City's Resource Manager, Jeff Mathieu, who is in charge of negotiating any transaction, acknowledged the city is having trouble convincing the property owners to sell.

"I can understand the concerns of existing property owners and tenants," Mathieu said.

The two owners of 720 Colorado site "have given us permission to enter the site and shared a number of documents," Mathieu said. But he added that Earl Scheib, who has owned the property on 600 Lincoln for 31 years, "has not expressed a lot of interest to cooperate."

The environmental site assessment will test the condition of the sites and their soil and look for hazardous materials, Mathieu said. The city also will explore if there are any liens on the property and look into the titles.

"After we go over whatever analysis we do, we will talk," Mathieu said.

But some customers of the targeted establishments said the city should not force the businesses out.

"I think eminent domain is rather draconian," said a customer. "People are going to lose businesses. One of those people is my mechanic who I've been going to for 20 years. I don't think it's right to take small business owners out of business with eminent domain."