Eminent Domain and demolition in Wichita

[USRufnex]

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2007/02/05/daily2.html

quote:Sedgwick County officials on Monday were weighing their options in their ongoing condemnation dispute with landowners in the footprint of the future downtown arena.

A court-appointed appraisal board on Friday said the county should nearly double its collective offer to the separate owners of five properties. The county had offered to buy the land for a total of $1.575 million. The appraisal board said fair compensation for the land actually was $3 million.


Under the state's eminent domain laws, the county is ordered by a judge to pay that amount to purchase the land. The Sedgwick County Commission could appeal.

But the county official overseeing the arena project, Assistant County Manager Ron Holt, says the county commission should just accept the rulings and move on.

Eight other properties currently are in a separate eminent domain petition. Rulings on seven of them are expected on Friday. The eighth and final property will be ruled on later.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/16422425.htm

quote:Seven buildings in the footprint of the downtown arena can be torn down, the Wichita City Council decided Tuesday.

The council overrode the Wichita Historic Preservation Board, which decided last month that demolishing the buildings could harm the East Douglas Historic District.

The buildings are 219, 223, 233, 301, 305 and 315 S. St. Francis and 310 S. Commerce.

Those addresses include Autoglass Plus, Copacabana, Episcopal Social Services, an antique store, Club Tabu, Prairie Print and a Cox Communications distribution center.

[Breadburner]

Lol @ Club Tabu....Thats a titty bar....

[USRufnex]

Would strippers be worthy of a "historic landmark" designation? [:O]

[Breadburner]

quote:Originally posted by USRufnex

Would strippers be worthy of a "historic landmark" designation? [:O]

I think that has some merit....The Stables sure should have......

[MichaelBates]

The thing is, the core of downtown Wichita is relatively intact. They still have plenty of two- and three-story commercial buildings; we've demolished most of ours. This arena will take out several commercial buildings which are historic regardless of the current tenant. If it has to go downtown, they ought to use it to replace that ugly spaceship they call an auditorium.

[USRufnex]

It's been a few years (well, okay... decades) but I didn't think Wichita had any buildings taller than 3-stories. []  Wish Tulsa had a version of Wichita State, but heck... at this point I'd take a Tulsa version of UCO...

Interesting that the stories imply it's alot easier to use eminent domain in Wichita (and Kansas) than Tulsa... yet there ARE all these gaps in downtown... my first thoughts were about what eminent domain was being used for in Wichita versus the Towerview situation in Tulsa...