Council to consider eminent-domain filings for two long-abandoned properties for affordable housing use
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Summary
Staff requested formal authority to begin eminent-domain proceedings for two apparently abandoned properties (145 Hemlock St. and 75 Young St.) to return parcels to the tax base or use them for affordable housing; staff said unpaid taxes are less than assessed value and filings will include a deposit based on tax value.
City staff asked council to adopt resolutions authorizing imminent-domain (eminent-domain) action for two properties identified as long abandoned and tax-delinquent: 145 Hemlock Street and 75 Young Street. Valerie told council these properties have unpaid taxes and appear abandoned by record title holders; the requested action authorizes the legal department to begin formal court proceedings to acquire the parcels.
Valerie said the objective is to bring the properties back into the tax base if they are sold or to use them for affordable housing; she described the filing process, noting the city must place a deposit with the clerk of court close to the assessed value and that the county will collect taxes as part of case settlement. Staff said pursuing claims would be costly for any heir or claimant to pursue and that the properties are likely in estates that would be expensive to prove in court.
Council members expressed support for the approach as a targeted, neighborhood-focused intervention and asked about the number of parcels the city could address with available funds; staff said these two represent the work the city can afford now but that the approach could be expanded later if successful.
What happens next: if council adopts the resolution at the regular meeting, the city's legal department will file the action, place the deposit with the clerk of court and pursue acquisition or settlement consistent with the resolution language; staff intends to use any acquired parcels for affordable housing.