THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130438
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
The City Council on Tuesday decided it doesn't want the power to condemn land citywide for economic development.
Instead, the council said it just wants to be able to resolve one problem property.
The council Tuesday asked the city attorney to draft a sixth version of a request to the General Assembly for the power to condemn land. This time, though, the council only wants that power within the boundaries of an industrial park planned for the Burton Station neighborhood, nestled between the Norfolk International Airport and Northampton Boulevard.
The city wants to redevelop the 181-acre neighborhood into a business complex that could support 1.6 million square feet of office space and as many as 8,000 jobs. The city has already spent more than $2 million acquiring land from willing sellers and relocating homeowners.
Eighty-five property owners still own land or houses in the neighborhood. At least 15 of them are willing to sell their property but are unable to because of title problems.
If the council gets condemnation powers, which only the General Assembly can bestow, it could condemn those parcels and any others in the neighborhood where the owners are reluctant to sell.
E. George Minns, head of the Virginia Beach chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he is glad the council backed away from asking for broad condemnation powers. But Minns, who spoke at a council meeting last week on behalf of the remaining residents of Burton Station, said he is still worried about the city taking land against the wishes of owners.
``What they had last week was like a cannon gun to kill a chicken,'' Minns said.
``If people own land and, because of real title problems, they desire to sell and can't sell, then those are the appropriate (uses for) condemnation,'' he said. ``We do have a concern about any use of this against anyone who does not want to sell. . . It's bad if it's used against your will.''
To address concerns of Burton Station residents, the council also asked the city staff to set up a meeting with property owners next week to explain the condemnation proposal. The council agreed to hold a second public hearing on Jan. 2 to allow residents an opportunity to respond before the council approves the measure.
Virginia Beach's council is the only one in the region that does not have the power to condemn land for economic development because it is the only city in the region that does not have a redevelopment or housing authority. The council did not consider asking for permission to create such an authority.
It will only be able to condemn land for economic development if the General Assembly specifically awards the city that power, which the council is expected to request in early January.
The council has met three times this fall to discuss the scope of the powers it wants.
Several council members had argued in favor of broad powers so the council could help spur redevelopment in other areas of the city. Council member Louis R. Jones, who supports redevelopment, said Tuesday that he could accept very limited powers as long as the problems in Burton Station were solved.
Several council members said they want future councils to need an 8-vote majority to ask the General Assembly to change the condemnation power.
``We're trying to structure a piece of legislation tightly enough so we have left something that is not a loaded gun,'' council member Nancy K. Parker said, ``that's our problem.'' by CNB