City seeking to forcibly acquire land
“As West Lake Hills secures more of the land needed to have the state build a center turn lane and sidewalks onto Bee Cave Road, the city is also pursuing eminent domain measures as a possible venue to acquire several properties.
The City Council has voted to allow the city’s attorneys to forcibly acquire, through its right of eminent domain, two commercial properties and one residential property. The commercial properties include a property at office condos 3939 Bee Cave and Wells Fargo property. The residential properties include a family’s house at Westhaven Drive and Bee Cave and residential property at McConnell Drive and Bee Cave.
West Lake Hills resident Alejandra Fernandez recently created a Change.org petition, urging city officials not to use eminent domain to acquire land. By the morning of Oct. 9, it had 49 signatures.
“Our neighbors deserve to be paid fairly and adequately for what they’re losing, but they are unable to negotiate on a level playing field. … While the eminent domain pr ocess is extremely expensive, time-consuming and emotionally draining for those families, it also consumes our tax dollars in city legal fees because it is litigation against homeowners,” Fernandez wrote. “City funds should be used to fairly compensate our neighbors for the needed land, not to pay lawyers representing the city.””
Urbaszewski, Katie. Statesman.com 8 October 2014.