Eminent Domain Report

When public agencies acquire property for public projects, many times only a portion of the property is required.  And, the government usually seeks various types property interests:  (i) permanent easements for street purposes, drainage, utilities, slope, aerial, or access rights, (ii) temporary construction easements, or (iii) fee interests, to name a few.  One common misconception among agencies is that acquiring an easement is completely different than acquiring the property in fee.  In some cases, it can be vastly different, but in others, depending on the scope of the ...

The City of Menlo Park is proceeding with two transportation projects.  The first one, an undercrossing to separate bicycles and pedestrians from rail traffic at Middle Avenue, received the green light from the City Council on December 15.   The City has committed $210,000 and has authorized staff to apply for an additional $490,000 in San Mateo County Measure A sales tax funds to pay for preliminary engineering work on the project.  The City estimates that the design and construction of the undercrossing will cost approximately $11 million.

The City’s second project is the Ravenswood ...