A Frenchtown Business & Property Owner Asks For Help Fighting Emiment Domain
My name is Douglas W Medley. I am the owner of Frenchtown Transmission Inc. I own property in the Frenchtown Historic district of St. Charles Missouri. The area is in the Northeast corner of the city just adjacent to the downtown historic district.
A group led by Tim Griffey of Griffey Homes has a plan for redeveloping the area with a mix of residential and retail properties. The St. Charles City Council had already begun the process to declare the area blighted before the business owners in this area were ever informed there was a redevelopment plan.
The representative for the developer has been in contact with us and has discussed our moving to another location. They are very nice people. The problem is that they have made no offers to buy any of us who are against the redevelopment. They have discussed our moving to another location in the same conversation in which they have inferred that the process to take the property through eminent domain is going quite well for them.
We the business owners in the area are discovering that the city council and the developer have had discussions for several years already and are taking the necessary steps to take our properties by eminent domain. They have done much already behind our backs. They intend to get the land for the least amount of money possible and it is painfully obvious the city council is helping.
We can pass laws to prevent eminent domain but if the process for what is taking place here in downtown St. Charles isn’t stopped soon they will be grandfathered in.
I have attached a copy of a letter I mailed to each Council member and the Mayor Of St. Charles
We need help.
St. Charles City Council
My name is Douglas W. Medley. I am the owner of Frenchtown Transmission Inc., located at 1718 North Second Street since 1987. My home address is #7 Huntington Forest Court, West, also in St. Charles City. My children attend Academy of the Sacred Heart.
In recent weeks I have learned of a plan being proposed by Tim Griffey for the redevelopment of an area of the Frenchtown Historic District. My business, which is the sole source of income for my family and myself, is in the area Mr. Griffey wants for his redevelopment.
There is talk he is pursuing acquiring the property through eminent domain for economic development. His own representative has expressed to me that his company, Griffey Homes, and the St. Charles City Counsel have already begun the process for declaring my property blighted.
I wish to inform you that I understand the blighting process and the reasons it is used to acquire property through eminent domain, but Mr. Griffey has not made a single offer to purchase this property. His representative has made several inferences that the progress of their efforts to acquire my property through the aid of the St. Charles City Council and eminent domain is going quite well.
I feel that the St. Charles City Council, which is supposed to be government by the people, for the people is acting more as if government is for the developer.
Declaring my property blighted for the purpose of lessening the value would be a good strategy if negotiations were not going well for Mr. Griffey and his group. However, so far there has been no offer and no negotiations. I feel the process of eminent domain should be stopped or Mr. Griffey should approach me with a firm offer and a negotiating process begun.
You are a member of the government, which represents me, and your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Douglas W Medley
