City considers using eminent domain to seize Midtown Mall
“Some see the Midtown Mall as a funky downtown shopping experience, where small, mostly immigrant-owned businesses are born and sometimes thrive and customers can snag good deals on everything from African textiles to a haircut at George Opoku’s one-chair barbershop.
But city officials and some business leaders look at the century-old building — which also houses a handful of storefront churches — as a rundown eyesore and impediment to the rebirth of downtown.
Now they are threatening to wrest ownership of the small, indoor shopping center at 22 Front St., across from City Hall, from longtime owner Dean Marcus.
The tool that they could use to take over the mall — and other deteriorated downtown buildings — is eminent domain, the power of government to seize private property for the greater good.
And the vehicle for the exercise of that power is the newly reconstituted Worcester Redevelopment Authority. The long dormant quasi-public agency, which has eminent domain authority, has been rejuvenated with $500,000 to develop a formal urban renewal plan, the required legal precursor to any eminent domain takings.
“How long when you are a person of means can you sit on a property that does not serve the interests of the community?” said District 2 City Councilor Philip P. Palmieri, whose district includes the mall and who has been calling for years for the mall to be redeveloped. “A couple of major property owners shouldn’t be able to unilaterally adversely impact growth in our city.” “
Sutner, Shaun. Telegram.com 11 August 2013.