AUBURN Plans to purchase land for the connector road may have hit a snag with one property owner.
Gaspare Amodei said he wants more than what the city offered for his 10.5 acres of mostly vacant land off North Street.
It's way off, not acceptable, Amodei said. If the deal happens, it does. If it doesn't, it doesn't.
The city wants land from Amodei and another property owner for the long-awaited connector road to link North Street and Grant Avenue. The city needs to purchase a former motel at 277 Grant Ave., where the planned road would begin, and the 10.5 acres owned by the Gaspare Amodei Construction Co. near North Street.
After more than a decade of planning, councilors approved the roads construction in May. City officials hope the connector road will solve traffic problems along busy Grant Avenue and sway motorists from using Standart Avenue and other residential streets that connect with North Street.
The connector road will be built near Wal-Mart, starting at Grant Avenue and Brookside Drive, and follow some railroad tracks and end at York Street. The city has set aside $478,000 to acquire needed property.
Amodei hasn't talked to the city for a few months about the deal for his property, he said. After the offer, Amodei hired an appraiser to determine the property's worth and asked substantially more than what the city offered, the construction company owner said.
Neither the city nor Amodei would comment on how much the city offered or how much Amodei wants for it. The property, which includes a construction shed on mostly vacant land that runs along a nearby railroad line, is assessed at $72,300.
Despite Amodei's dissatisfaction, City Manager John Salomone said the deal will get done and the project will proceed. I'm not worried, Salomone said. Ultimately, we'll have the property purchased. One way or another, it'll get done.
The city can use eminent domain to acquire the property. All the city needs to do is show it needs the land and it will purchase it for a fair market value, according to state law.
The former motel is owned by local Realtor J. Patrick Doyle, who said last week that he expects to complete a deal with the city.
Three other slivers of land may also be purchased for the nearly $4 million project, depending on the exact path of the road. The city will wait to start negotiating with those landowners when the final design for the road has been completed.
Construction of the road is scheduled to begin in July, but some preliminary work may begin before that, said Steve Lynch, the city's special projects coordinator. It will probably take 10 to 12 months to finish and be ready for motorists by June 2004.
The road will open up some 12 acres of undeveloped land behind Wal-Mart to commercial development and could eventually generate more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue. A local developer has been trying to market the land for years, but was unable to get a national retailer to build there because it didn't have an access to Grant Avenue.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, arranged for a $1.25 million grant from the state Department of Transportation to help pay for the connector road. Cayuga County is kicking in $750,000 in other state money and in-kind services. and the city's share is expected to be about $1.7 million.
To reach Staff Writer Craig Fox, call 253-5311, Ext. 237.
It's way off, not acceptable, Amodei said. If the deal happens, it does. If it doesn't, it doesn't.
The city wants land from Amodei and another property owner for the long-awaited connector road to link North Street and Grant Avenue. The city needs to purchase a former motel at 277 Grant Ave., where the planned road would begin, and the 10.5 acres owned by the Gaspare Amodei Construction Co. near North Street.
After more than a decade of planning, councilors approved the roads construction in May. City officials hope the connector road will solve traffic problems along busy Grant Avenue and sway motorists from using Standart Avenue and other residential streets that connect with North Street.
The connector road will be built near Wal-Mart, starting at Grant Avenue and Brookside Drive, and follow some railroad tracks and end at York Street. The city has set aside $478,000 to acquire needed property.
Amodei hasn't talked to the city for a few months about the deal for his property, he said. After the offer, Amodei hired an appraiser to determine the property's worth and asked substantially more than what the city offered, the construction company owner said.
Neither the city nor Amodei would comment on how much the city offered or how much Amodei wants for it. The property, which includes a construction shed on mostly vacant land that runs along a nearby railroad line, is assessed at $72,300.
Despite Amodei's dissatisfaction, City Manager John Salomone said the deal will get done and the project will proceed. I'm not worried, Salomone said. Ultimately, we'll have the property purchased. One way or another, it'll get done.
The city can use eminent domain to acquire the property. All the city needs to do is show it needs the land and it will purchase it for a fair market value, according to state law.
The former motel is owned by local Realtor J. Patrick Doyle, who said last week that he expects to complete a deal with the city.
Three other slivers of land may also be purchased for the nearly $4 million project, depending on the exact path of the road. The city will wait to start negotiating with those landowners when the final design for the road has been completed.
Construction of the road is scheduled to begin in July, but some preliminary work may begin before that, said Steve Lynch, the city's special projects coordinator. It will probably take 10 to 12 months to finish and be ready for motorists by June 2004.
The road will open up some 12 acres of undeveloped land behind Wal-Mart to commercial development and could eventually generate more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue. A local developer has been trying to market the land for years, but was unable to get a national retailer to build there because it didn't have an access to Grant Avenue.
State Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, arranged for a $1.25 million grant from the state Department of Transportation to help pay for the connector road. Cayuga County is kicking in $750,000 in other state money and in-kind services. and the city's share is expected to be about $1.7 million.
To reach Staff Writer Craig Fox, call 253-5311, Ext. 237.
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