City to Take Land for Road Project

The city will exercise its power of eminent domain to acquire land to widen the intersection at Cerritos Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard, the city attorney said.

The city wants to construct a right-hand turn lane on westbound Cerritos Avenue so motorists can turn safely onto northbound Los Alamitos Boulevard.

To build the turn lane, the city needs 1,300 square feet of land next to the intersection. The land is owned by Unocal Corp.

“There is disagreement over the value of the property, and Unocal has refused to meet with us,” City Attorney Thomas W. Allen said.

Unocal owns a 22,500-square-foot parcel at the intersection that used to be the site of a gas station. The property is vacant.

The 1,300-square-foot portion is needed for the road improvements because it juts “out into the road,” Allen said.

The city in July offered Unocal $2,200 for the property, about $1.70 a square foot. But Unocal representatives contend the land is worth more money.

“The offer is so far and below any reasonable fair market value,” said Patricia Ellis, Unocal’s western division property manager. “Last time I heard property was worth $1 a square-foot was in the Mojave Desert.”

The city next week will file a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court and deposit $2,200 with the court so it can seek possession of the property, Allen said.