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ff ALVARADOSMITH <br />March 15, 2016 <br />Page 5 <br />and not just the public benefit. In reality, this consideration is the only stopgap measure <br />protecting the constitutional rights of the property owner because the weight of the purported <br />public good from a project will always seem to be of more import to a greater group of people <br />than the injury to a single property owner. However, the check on the exercise of the power of <br />eminent domain is the consideration of the private injury. In the seminal right to take cases, <br />Norm's Slauson, Dusek and Izant, the focus has always been on the impact of the public entity's <br />project (or the adoption of a RON) on a single property. This is lacking here, stripping any <br />necessity. <br />Third, and the most obvious failing in the Resolution of Necessity and staff report, is the <br />lack of any description of the amount of property the City actually needs for the road widening. <br />As a result, the City cannot show that the entirety of the Subject Property is "necessary for the <br />project". Code of Civil Procedure § 1240.030(c). Based upon the environmental documents, <br />Project plans and the completed portions of the earlier phases, the City likely needs <br />approximately 12 feet in width along the frontage of the Subject Property to widen the road. <br />Accordingly, the amount of property potentially "necessary" is this small strip of the frontage. <br />However, the City wants to acquire the entire parcel, an additional 120 feet of depth. Obviously, <br />the City is using the small frontage strip as an anchor to acquire the entire parcel to accomplish <br />its redevelopment goals. However, not only does it lack a public purpose to acquire the entire <br />parcel, the City failed to even follow the statutory scheme in its attempt to do so. <br />The portion outside of the road widening project area is known as a "remnant" parcel, <br />and is more accurately described as "excess condemnation". Code of Civil Procedure §§ <br />1240.150; 1240.140-1240.430. However, like all condemnation, the authority to condemn <br />excess property or remnants is limited by the constitutional requirement of a valid, public use. Id. <br />Moreover, a resolution of necessity seeking to acquire a remnant must cite to Code of Civil <br />Procedure § 1240.410. The City's Resolution of Necessity does not. <br />Accordingly, the City cannot show that the entire parcel is necessary for the Project, and <br />even if such an attempt had been made, the City did not invoke the statutory power to condemn <br />the remnant portion of the parcel. Thus, the City's Resolution of Necessity does not comply with <br />Code of Civil Procedure § 1240.030(c). <br />In summation, the Resolution of Necessity and staff report lack the materials, specific <br />facts and other information necessary to make any showing of necessity. The Resolution is <br />flawed as a result, and its adoption could only be the result of an arbitrary, capricious or grossly <br />abusive exercise of discretion. <br />4050975.1 -- N1475. I <br />