Conflicting Claims in Wisconsin Mall Condemnation
Stevens Point, Wisconsin filed a condemnation action to clear out a blighted mall. The owners claim that the City caused the blight and have no right to use eminent domain. The City stated that the original eminent domain action was approved by the owners.
This is a case that is ripe for infinite amounts of litigation!
The city condemned the mall in October as part of a plan to turn the property into the new downtown campus for Mid-State Technical College.
Judge Thomas Flugaur could decide whether to strike down the condemnation or whether to block the city from any development until the lawsuit is settled.
Third Court also claims that redeveloping the mall into a college campus would violate an existing agreement that requires the mall to be run as a first class retail shopping center.
In legal briefs, the city argued that the former owners have publicly supported its plans to redevelop the mall and buy it out. The city offered $910,000 as the final condemnation price but Third Court rejected the offer.
