Silva Valley interchange update: County pursues eminent domain
“The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors conducted a hearing Friday morning and eventually adopted a Resolution of Necessity that authorizes beginning the process. Because much of the project is within the California Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction, that state agency can authorize the county to take the action.
“Caltrans is the lead agency and they require us to do this,” District 4 Supervisor Ron Briggs explained during a phone conversation last Thursday. “We have to follow Caltrans protocol, otherwise we would just negotiate with the owners.
“Eminent domain is not very common for us. Usually we go to the ‘willing owner as a willing buyer,’” he continued.
Briggs further said the county had “come to terms with 10 or so owners of other related parcels, but there’s one we just can’t find.” The parcels are not uniform in size and slices and pieces of them have to be considered in the overall action, he added.
Briggs described acquisition of the additional land and right of way as time-sensitive — to take advantage of current lower costs before “the construction bidding process goes up and to not lose $1 or $2 million in Caltrans grants.”
The property owner was notified of the hearing in accordance with the state codes and has the right to speak at the hearing with respect to the four findings, according to the county’s documents.
They are: “Whether the public interest and necessity require the project; Whether the project is planned or located in the manner that will be most compatible with the greatest public good and the least private injury; Whether the subject property is necessary for the project; and whether the offer required by Government Code Section 7267.2 has been made to all owners of record.””
Daley, Chris. Village Life 7 January 2013.