Ontario council approves steps for eminent domain to improve two crossing crossings
“Time is running out on the city in its efforts to eliminate long waits for motorists at two railroad crossing, with $100 million in state funding at risk. The holdup is the city’s inability to negotiate the sale of adjacent land needed for the bridge projects.
To make this happen, the City Council last week authorized city officials to use eminent domain if they cannot come to terms with property owners near the two train crossings on South Milliken Avenue near Mission Boulevard and North Vineyard Avenue just south of Holt Boulevard.
Otto Kroutil, director of the city’s Development Agency, said Ontario would prefer to settle the issue out of court because at risk are two state grants totaling more than $100 million.
If the city can not prove to the state by March that is has obtained the rights-of-way on the projects it will lose the funding and likely delay them indefinitely, he said.”
Marquez, Liset. DailyBulletin.com 13 December 2012.