Oregon, apartment owners reach street-work accord

3/17/2010
BLADE STAFF

Oregon City Council approved an agreement last week with the owners of Copper Cove Apartments worth more than $175,000. It is part of the Wheeling Street widening project.

The city is to pay LTDD Associates $79,650 to cover damage the road construction project caused to Copper Cove, 1105 South Wheeling St., as well as an unspecified amount to reconstruct the apartment complex's driveway. It also will pay LTDD Associates $96,700 for a nearby house in the way of construction and additional right of way, which it originally had sought for the Wheeling Street project.

Councilman Michael Sheehy commended the city administration for finalizing an agreement, which council approved unanimously last week.

"I think it's probably very fair … certainly to the landowners, hopefully to the city as well," Councilman Sheehy said.

Construction is to start this spring on the project to widen Wheeling Street from Navarre Avenue to Brown Road.

The $10 million project is expected to be completed in summer, 2011.

Oregon filed a lawsuit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court in November, seeking a judgement to appropriate the property for the widening project after an agreement with LTDD Associates could not be reached. The city had offered to pay $95,900 for the property, including the house.

LTDD Associates had replied the fair market value of its property was more than $200,000. In court documents it also said widening Wheeling Street will cause significant damage to the apartment complex's value during construction because tenants will be inconvenienced and likely to move.

Oregon will pay court costs for the lawsuit, but each side will pay its own attorney fees and costs, according to the agreement.