City to use eminent domain to demolish burned warehouse
“Plans to demolish a south side warehouse torched by arsonists last year are moving ahead in City Hall.
The city’s Urban Design Review Board Tuesday recommended the City Council use eminent domain to take possession of the property and allocate $250,000 in urban renewal funding to help clean the site.
The abandoned warehouse, at 1422 Scott Ave., had been used as a construction material recycling center and was packed to the ceiling with debris, including asbestos and other hazardous materials. It caught fire in September, burning for three days and spewing black smoke across the city.”
Aschbrenner, Joel. Des Moines Register 18 February 2014.