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Savannah council authorizes eminent domain for three roadway easements
Summary
At a Oct. 10, 2019 special meeting, the Savannah City Council unanimously authorized use of eminent domain to obtain easements on three properties (2110 Delesseps Ave., 2318 LaRoche Ave., and 1302 West Gwinnett St.) after negotiations with owners failed to resolve compensation or timeline issues.
The Savannah City Council unanimously approved three resolutions at a special Oct. 10, 2019 meeting authorizing the use of eminent domain to acquire portions of properties needed for road widening and sidewalk work.
Assistant City Attorney Denise Cooper opened the meeting and introduced Real Estate Director David Keating, who outlined the three parcels under consideration. For each property the city said it and the owner had been unable to agree on value for an easement required for construction, and the owners had retained counsel.
Item 1 authorized acquisition of a portion of 2110 Delesseps Avenue (Parcel 73), owned by James Woods. The council record shows the owner was notified and had counsel but had not engaged with the city. Alderman Brian Foster moved to approve the resolution and Alderman Julian Miller seconded; the motion carried unanimously.
Item 2 authorized acquisition of a portion of 2318 LaRoche Avenue (Parcel 107), owned by Ayesha Sabree. Keating described the required area as a rectangular easement for construction and slope maintenance to allow road widening for sidewalks and curb drainage. Alderwoman Dr. Estella E. Shabazz clarified that the easement was not a continuous linear strip but a rectangular area for the slope. The record indicates the owner had been notified but was not present. The council approved the resolution; the record shows Alderman Julian Miller moved and Alderman Brian Foster seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Item 3 authorized acquisition of a portion of 1302 West Gwinnett Street (Parcel 3), owned by Josey Sheppard. City Attorney Bates Lovett told the council the city’s project schedule required acquisition before Oct. 24. Lovett said the owners previously requested 90 days and the city had authorized 45; the record states it had been 98 days without resolution. Engineers for the owner were examining whether existing pumps and fuel tanks would need to be moved because of the property’s slope; Lovett said the city planned to authorize eminent domain no earlier than Oct. 22 to allow additional engineering work. Owner representative Attorney Patrick Connell described placement options for pumps and tanks and discussed coordinating engineers with city staff. Alderman Miller moved to proceed and Alderman Foster seconded; the council carried the motion unanimously.
The council took no recorded votes with individual member roll calls; the meeting record states each motion "carried unanimously." Present at the meeting were Mayor Eddie W. DeLoach and five aldermen: Julian Miller, Brian Foster, Van R. Johnson II, Dr. Estella E. Shabazz and Tony Thomas; three council members (Mayor Pro-Tem Carolyn H. Bell, Bill Durrence and John Hall) were listed as absent. The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. and adjourned at 5:54 p.m.
According to the record, the city will continue to engage with owners and engineers after the eminent domain authorizations to resolve technical questions about slopes and equipment placement. The clerk's minutes note that the video recording and the finalized minutes are available online and that the minutes were approved Oct. 24, 2019.
