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Hartford Redevelopment Agency Will Vote Thursday On Whether To Take Capitol West Through Eminent Domain

Jenna Carlesso

January 24, 2011

The city's redevelopment agency will decide Thursday whether it will move forward with efforts to take the dilapidated Capitol West building on Myrtle Street through eminent domain.

Talks between the city and owners of the vacant building have been ongoing, but no agreement has been reached, said David Panagore, the city's chief operating officer.

"We're continuing to have conversations," Panagore said. "We'd like to resolve the situation with an agreed upon price, but that doesn't seem very likely based upon their statements and the distance between our price and theirs."

Panagore declined to discuss how much money Capitol West's owners were seeking for the property. He didn't immediately have numbers available for how much it would cost the city to take the property through eminent domain.

City officials in November pegged the building's value at $448,000.

If the Hartford Redevelopment Agency votes in favor of acquiring the property through eminent domain, the plan must then be approved by the city council and the city's planning and zoning commission before efforts can get underway.

The redevelopment agency will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. at 260 Constitution Plaza.