Pearland City Council voted unanimously at its April 13 meeting to authorize eminent domain to acquire 0.1246 acres of land along Smith Ranch Road to secure road right of way and an easement for water and sewer lines.
Eminent domain is the legal authority of the government to take private property for public use, provided they pay "just compensation,” according to the Texas Government Code.
What you need to know
The city appraised the subject land’s value at $10,000 and made an offer to the property owner, but to date, have not received a counteroffer, according to city documents.
"At one point in time, the property owner said, ‘I think I should get paid more,’ but never gave a counteroffer,” City Attorney Lawrence Provins said at the meeting.
The city sought to purchase the land for the Smith Ranch Road Public Improvement District, or PID, in which the parcel is located, and to support the extension of Wooten Road, which runs parallel to Smith Ranch Road.
A PID is a funding tool that allows for public improvements in a given area to be funded via debt, such as bonds, according to previous reporting.
How we got here
City Council voted in August to create the 78.7-acre PID to fund wastewater infrastructure improvements near the intersection of Smith Ranch and Hughes roads, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
