Broken Arrow City Council OKs condemnation process on expressway land near Bass Pro
BY SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer
Thursday, March 07, 2013
3/07/13 at 4:00 AM
BROKEN ARROW - The City Council voted following an executive session Tuesday to continue with the condemnation process on the final property necessary to extend a service road in the Bass Pro Shops area.
The city is trying to acquire a portion of the 6.42-acres owned by Tulsa billboard developer Shawn Whistler in an effort to build a western extension of Hillside Drive.
The extension would free up 27 acres for continued development north of the Broken Arrow Expressway and allow better emergency access to Bass Pro Shops.
The Hillside Drive westward extension would connect to the eastern leg of Hillside Drive where Target, restaurants and numerous other commercial establishments are located.
City Attorney Beth Anne Wilkening said in January that Whistler showed interest, but had not accepted, the city's $350,000 buyout offer.
Whistler told the Tulsa World in October that he had been negotiating with the city on and off since 2004.
He has expressed concerns that the city would remove two billboards on his land, but Wilkening has said they will be allowed to remain if the land is condemned.
Condemnation proceedings could cost the city more than the buyout offer, which Whistler has rejected so far.
Wilkening said in a report to the city council that condemnation proceedings could cost $400,000, not including legal fees, which is nearly double the $209,700 appraisal on the land.
Original Print Headline: Condemnation process on BA Expressway land OK'd
