Seattle seizes elderly woman's parking lot to turn it into -- a parking lot
Published October 25, 2013
FoxNews.com

UNDATED: The city of Seattle is using its power of eminent domain to force a 103-year-old woman to give up her private waterfront parking lot to make way for a city-owned parking lot. (Q13FOX.com)

The city of Seattle is forcing a 103-year-old woman to give up her private waterfront parking lot to make way for a city-owned parking lot.

The City Council voted Monday to use its power of eminent domain to acquire the lot owned by Spokane resident Myrtle Woldson, who has repeatedly turned down offers to purchase the property, Q13FOX.com reported.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, the city wants to acquire Woldson's property to mitigate the loss of other parking lots during the construction of a $2.1 billion tunnel that will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

City officials have said that they plan to keep the lot for surface parking, even though city and state transportation documents call for structured parking along Seattle's central waterfront area, including Woldson's lot, the newspaper reported.

Gary Beck, president of Republic Parking Northwest, which operates the lot, told the Puget Sound Business Journal that Woldson once turned down a $20 million-dollar offer for the property.

“It makes no fiscal sense to me to have the city condemn a parking lot to make more parking,” Beck said.

The city has not indicated what they will offer Woldson for the property. She still has the opportunity to challenge the taking and the eventual selling price in court.

Glen Morgan of the Freedom Foundation, an Olympia-based free-market think tank, told Q13FOX.com there are several bills moving through the Washington Legislature that would revamp the state's eminent domain laws and extend more rights to property owners.

”In this case, the city of Seattle is using eminent domain to seize a parking lot, so they can use it as a parking lot,” Morgan said. “There’s no public good in that at all.”

Obama must be taking timeout from grabbing guns to grab parking lots.

Fish on...

Todd

There is supposed to be a legitimate public purpose, too, along with paying fair market value.

Fish on...

Todd

That's why it says "supposed to be a legitimate public use"...it's a very, very easy standard for the State to reach.

Fish on...

Todd

I have had my property "purchased" from me from the state of Washington under the threat of condemnation by eminent domain.
It was no walk in the park and it hurt me financially. The state employees seemed to think it was a game. Large property holders can do much better because of the structure of the laws, I have explained the matter in a previous post. Small holders have a much harder time coming to an equitable agreement with the state, believe me small holders are bullied.

Consider that as distasteful as my encounter was, my property was taken for a highway project. This persons property is being taken by a city, it is currently a parking lot, being taken so as to make a parking lot.

Oh Hank, you must be joking, we all know that if we want the the economy to flourish we will need many more government jobs. As only the government can afford to pay a proper wage to the masses. Whats that you say? Where will the money come from? Mr. Krugman says, no worries.

Yep, all of the Democratic islanders can commute, by way of the government run ferries, to the government run parking lot, and all of the time you are protected, by the government run heath care system. A kin to a government supplied condom.

eminent domain is the only tool available to deal with folks who regard their home and their home......to the owner it is not an investment in monetary terms, it's an emotional investment and not for sale....... and this runs contrary to government perspective in every regard......

craigslist?


Having rental properties is probably a good revenue stream and I have thought about owning some myself but damn, I don't know how you could deal with renters.

"Sip it, lick it, put my weiner in it!"




Sober Steve-O sucks.

He doesn't.