La Verne : Condemnation on Agenda

City officials are considering a plan that would grant limited eminent domain authority to the La Verne Redevelopment Agency, one of the few such agencies in the state without the power to condemn private property for public use and purchase it at fair market value.

If adopted, the proposal would limit the agency’s condemnation powers to mostly large, vacant lots in commercial and industrial areas of the city, said Planning Director Ken Farfsing. Residential areas would be exempt from the eminent domain authority, he said.

The agency, which was formed in 1978, has already identified five parcels totaling 210 acres that would be subject to condemnation. A series of public hearings must be held before such an ordinance can be adopted.