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Property owner’s easement holdout stalls 76 Country Boulevard improvements
Summary
Board members said a single property owner’s demands over five parcels are blocking necessary easements and delaying design and construction for the 76 Country Boulevard corridor project; staff and engineers say changes would affect safety, ADA compliance and could require compensation.
At a CID board meeting, members were warned that one property owner’s refusal to confirm easement terms is stalling plans for the 76 Country Boulevard corridor project.
The board’s chair raised the issue as the meeting opened, saying the project hinges on signatures from a single owner who controls five parcels. Staff reported a temporary construction easement had been re-executed but final easements and a written owner commitment remain outstanding.
City staff described proposed design changes that close one driveway entrance and said they had scanned conceptual redraws to the owner’s representatives. A city presenter with engineering responsibility said the sketch "violates the shy distance" and several safety criteria and emphasized the design’s goal of protecting pedestrians with a median, a Z crossing and a HAWK light.
Some board members pushed back, arguing that removing access points could reduce property value and might constitute a compensable taking. "You can't say we're improving the value," a board member cautioned; city staff replied that if right-of-way or private property interests are taken by the design, the city must compensate or find alternative geometry that keeps the work inside the existing right-of-way.
Staff said their immediate next step is to secure either verbal or written confirmation from the property owner about the specific items holding up the easement signatures. Board members agreed to meet after the session with attorneys and staff to try to negotiate a solution; if no agreement is reached, the project schedule will likely be pushed back.
The board emphasized it is not inclined to pay easement compensation by default and wants clear confirmation from the owner before proceeding with additional design expenditures.
