Wednesday, February 13, 2013
City pays $120,000, avoids eminent domain battle over Fourth Street property.
Easton will pay $120,000 to purchase a private Downtown parking lot in order to give the city more public parking. City Council voted Wednesday night approve the purchase from Scott Kindred, who has owned the N. Fourth Street lot since 2010. The city had been prepared to seize the property through eminent domain, but agreed last month to negotiate with Kindred. “Eminent domain can be pretty tough, and it’s a vote I didn’t necessarily want to make," Councilman Jeff Warren said. Kindred said in an interview Wednesday that the offer was $50,000 higher than what the city had first proposed. At Wednesday's council meeting, Panto noted that Kindred and his wife had come into Easton for dinner on a recent Saturday and had been unable to find a …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Council tables eminent domain vote after property owner agrees to meet with the city.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Tom Coombe
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Thursday, January 24
Easton City Council will wait three weeks before voting to condemn and seize a downtown parking lot. Council made that decision Wednesday night after lot owner Scott Kindred said he would meet with city officials and try to work out a different arrangement, one that would possibly allow Kindred to keep his property and allow some public parking. After the meeting, Kindred expressed cautious optimism about the vote. "They're willing to talk, so I'm willing to listen," he said. Initially, the city had wanted to take the N. Fourth Street lot by eminent domain. Mayor Sal Panto said the city would use the parking lot -- which is now private -- as a public parking lot. The city's parking study identified the lot as a good place for another …
Monday, January 21, 2013
Council scheduled to make eminent domain vote Wednesday. Owner says to expect a challenge.
Easton City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to condemn a N. Fourth Street parking lot that could someday be the home of a new city parking garage. The new lot could be years in the future. But to secure the land, the city plans to take the land by eminent domain from current owner Scott Kindred. Kindred, of Martins Creek, says it won't be that easy. "They’re going to have to pay me," he said in an interview last week. "Probably more than they think. I’m trying to derail this thing before it gets too far along." Kindred bought the lot from Wells-Fargo in November 2010. He uses it to provide parking for his tenants, which include the Sweet Girlz Bakery, a hair salon and an insurance office. There's room for about 25 cars …
cindy
12:06 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
Easton is not promoting consumers to visit business was the wrong word. When the city wants to charge for parking til 8pm with metered parking. Really how many times do they need to change the way you pay to park. How much was spent to wire spots to send out an alert? Certainly Easton should find a theme for the town with a clear direction. There is not half the traffic or shops that Bethlehem … more ›