Lewis County may exercise eminent domain on property near Swofford Road in Mossyrock in order to finish a reconstruction project that has been on the books for a long time.
Property condemnation was a last-resort option the county decided to take after negotiations with the property owners stalled, according to Lewis County Public Works Director Tim Elsea.
On Monday, the County Commission approved initiating the condemnation process.
After notifications and publications have been made — a legal prerequisite — the commissioners will decide if they want to authorize the condemnation.
Taking over the property will give the county the access it needs to change an intersection on Swofford Road, near Ajlune Road, from an angled intersection to a perpendicular one.
Elsea on Monday said the county has been in negotiations with the property owners since July 2011.
The county first offered $1,200 — the appraised value, according to Elsea.
The property owners countered with a requirement of $1,900 — the assessed value.
In response, the county increased its offer to $1,900, but the owners rejected that offer and asked for $2,500.
Lewis County's final offer of $2,100 also was rejected by the property owners, according to Elsea.
"In the opinion of the public works department, the county and the property owner have reached an impasse," he said. "And the only available option is to initiate condemnation."
The property — an unbuildable, quarter-acre lot — is the last piece of land needed to complete the project. The county previously obtained right of ways on several other properties.
“We had some issues with other owners in the past,” Elsea said. “We got most of those issues cleared up. This is it.”
