Statesboro’s University Plaza goes up for sale (2015, purchase)

[Airforceguy]

This could potentially be an excellent redevelopment opportunity, if it's sold to the right people....
Statesboro's University Plaza goes up for sale

[GaPlanner]

I hope that the university does not snatch it up. It needs to stay a commercial activity center. The transition it provides between the exclusive/institutional grounds to the peripheral community is needed. It also does not need to be a surface parking lot.

[DanielAvery]

It's always had that "dumpy charm," and I'm sure the folks in charge of GSU would love to get hold of it--if not just so they can clean it up and make it lose that "character". Once upon a time I imagined they would take the space over to build a central parking garage, but of course the shuttle buses and such have helped somewhat with getting to campus. Now? Who knows?

Do you think GSU would be underhanded enough to have local government declare eminent domain on the property if the owners refused to sell to them?

[GaPlanner]

No, they would not do that. And they would also not pay $5.5-million for it either. If the city attempted that, it would be an automatic settlement. There is already too much published literature regarding the city's contempt for that property and would be blatantly obvious that they have no real government interest in the property.

[DanielAvery]

I'm not sure about GA, but I've heard that some states allow local governments to declare eminent domain not to use the property themselves, but to remove it from the ownership of someone who is (according to them) not using the property to its greatest potential, and sell it to an entity who will make "better" use (again, according to them) of that land. Translation: local governments can use the heavy hand of government to play a shell game to increase the "productivity" of a tract of land (think: increased tax revenue). It's thoroughly underhanded, but I've heard of it being done. Again, no idea if GA would allow it--it's the kind of government overreach into individual property rights that you don't see in the more rural states--but it would certainly give the locals something to harp about if it were attempted.

[GaPlanner]

Georgia probably has something like that on the books, or at least rural Georgia municipalities simply get away with things like that. I know the downtown surface parking lot at West Main and College Street was essentially stolen from a businessman of color through that process. My mom was on the jury for his case against the city, but I remember hearing that folks didn't sympathize with him because he wanted $400k for the property. They essentially tore down a historic building for a surface parking lot.

Potentially the city could do something like that, but it would not work out in their best interests. The property is high value with commercial use and adjacent to high-density housing. It would be an automatic lawsuit if they didn't pay top dollar. Honestly I don't think $5.5-million is a stretch for that property if it was being marketed to national developers. It would also be suspect because the property is for sale. If it could be used for a higher potential, why not simply purchase it from the owner. That fact that it is for sale would make them taking the property highly suspect as if they are just not willing to pay the price. I believe most eminent domains occur in cases where folks are not wanting to sell.