The Fort Collins urban renewal board officially opened the door to buy the former Albertsons grocery store on North College Avenue without the cooperation of the property owner.
On Thursday, the Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority board of commissioners authorized the use of eminent domain to acquire the property, which it has determined is blighted and a detriment to the community without redevelopment.
Eminent domain allows a government to take control of private property in order to provide a public benefit, without the owner’s consent but after paying just compensation for it.
Prior to the vote, the board was given a report from a June 11 visual inspection by URA staff, which concluded that blight persists 10 years after the Albertsons closure.
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Colorado law defines blight as “an area that substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of the municipality, retards the provision of housing accommodations, or constitutes an economic or social liability, and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare.”