The owner of a North Street apartment building is asking the City Council for more money than the city plans to pay to acquire the presently vacant property.
The city plans to take the property at 238 North Street by eminent domain for purposes that include expanding Willow Street Park, by providing a new entrance to the park, or other city purposes not yet named.
Nader Saleh of Meriden told the Council, in a hearing on the purchase, that he had received offers to purchase the property for $500,000, but that the city told the prospective buyers that it could not be used because of lack of parking. He told the Council that he wanted 20% higher than the $250,000 he paid to purchase the property.
In a later meeting of the Council’s Committee on Planning, Zoning and Housing, a representative of the office of Mayor Erin Stewart (R) said the amount to be paid to the owner is consistent with two independent appraisals done on the property. The city is offering $337,500.
Ald. Jerrell Hargraves (R-2) recited the amount to be paid by the city and questioned how the owner could, as he stated, be losing money on the transaction.
Ald. Iris Sanchez (D-3) agreed about the need for improvement at the Willow Street Park, as a Council member for that neighborhood, saying there is a need for improvements to be made in the area.
The proposal is on the agenda of the August 9, 2023 Council meeting.
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