Minutes 10/09/2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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October 9, 2001 - Unfinished Business - 01 - 273 - Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Attorney or his designee to institute eminent domain proceedings to acquire properties for the construction of the Frederick Boulevard Water Booster Pumping Station and Water Storage Facility. Deferred from the September 25, 2001 City Council meeting. Recommendation: · Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Attorney or his designee to institute eminent domain proceedings to acquire necessary properties on the southwest side of Frederick Boulevard for the construction of the Frederick Boulevard Water Booster Pumping Station and Water Storage Facility. Purpose and Need: · The Frederick Boulevard Water Booster Pumping Station and Water Storage Facility was approved by Portsmouth's voters in the November 1998 Public Utilities Bond Referendum. The project is authorized in the Capital Improvements Budget. This project will replace both the circa 1888 Godwin Street Water Booster Pumping Station, the 1960's era Five Mile Post Water Booster Pumping Station and two water storage tanks built in 1916 and 1942. · Based upon extensive water quality and hydraulic modeling and their immediate proximity to existing transmission and major distribution mains, two midtown sites east of the CSX RR and flanking the northeast and southwest sides of Frederick Boulevard were identified as suitable locations for this new facility. A map showing the proximate locations of the existing water mains, the existing Five Mile Post and Godwin Street facilities and the proposed Frederick facility is attached. · The site northeast of Frederick Boulevard is City owned and is adjacent to the existing City maintenance complex. The size of this site precludes its effective screening from Frederick Boulevard. With the resurgence of Midtown, this site has future development potential. The site southwest of Frederick Boulevard is composed of four privately owned parcels, two of which are homeowner occupied and two of which are undeveloped and vacant. Use of this site would not impact future development in Midtown and the site can be effectively screened. It would require property acquisition, the relocation of homeowners and would remove 1.54 acres from the tax rolls (current property taxes for the four parcels total $1,980.88 per year with an assessed total value of $137,720.00). Attached is an aerial location map showing both sites and site plans showing the layout of the proposed facilities. · Based upon the development potential of the north (City owned) site, acquisition of the south (private ownership) site is recommended. Both sites are equally effective from an engineering standpoint. Public ownership of the City Operations Center, the Jeffry Wilson Housing Development and the S.H. Clarke Elementary School, all adjacent and located in the northeast quadrant of 1-264 and Frederick Boulevard provides a significant opportunity for the future development of a large commercial project with direct interstate access. The proposed location of the pumping station and tanks in this area will significantly impact the visibility of any such project as well as future visibility along Frederick Boulevard towards Midtown and other large commercial sites poised for redevelopment. The Manager's recommendation is based on attempting to balance the potential future benefit to the economic well being of the City with the negative impact on private property. · To assemble the south site, four properties need to be acquired from private property owners. These properties, their owners, property type, assessed value, annual taxes and acreage are: 394-20 Bernice Sykes Duplex $ 61,190.00 $ 879.52 1.000 acre 394-21 Lottie M. Washington Duplex 74,050.00 1,066.24 0.420 acre 394-22 Alfred & Iona Fowler Undeveloped 2,190.00 31.08 0.070 acre 394-23 Gracie R. Hunt Undeveloped 290.00 4.04 0.030 acre (There is no contact address for Ms. Hunt)