Published: November 14, 2007 10:23 am         

Goshen acquires land for south link road

Following months of private negotiations, Goshen officials have reached settlement agreements with the two parties that own land needed for a south link road.

City officials will pay about $1.7 million to purchase land for the road, plus $43,000 in legal fees and some appraisal fees.

The road will connect C.R. 27 on the east with Ind. 15 on the west. The road will come out on Ind. 15 about a block south of Waterford Elementary School. A grade separation — most likely an overpass — is planned at the railroad tracks. The road will T at Dierdorff Road (C.R. 27).

According to an agreement unanimously approved by the Goshen Redevelopment Commission Tuesday, the city will purchase 8.58 acres of land from the Hoogenboom Family Interests at a cost of $387,327. In addition, city officials will pay about $1.32 million to Waterford Development Corp. to purchase nearly 24 acres of land.

City officials initiated eminent domain proceedings to obtain the land.

The costs are a compromise from the initial costs that were reported earlier this year.

At that time, court-appointed appraisers determined that city officials would need to pay more than $3 million to buy land for the road and pay for damages to the land they didn’t want to purchase for the portion of the project from Weymouth Boulevard to C.R. 27. However, the recent negotiations reduced that amount.

Prior to voting on the matter, Redevelopment Commission president Tom Stump told the other commission members that while he had no financial interests or partnerships with the Hoogenboom family, “The Hoogenbooms are my friends and have contributed to my political campaigns in the past.”

City Attorney Larry Barkes said that because Stump had no financial interest and played no part in the negotiations, it should not be seen as a conflict of interest.

Redevelopment Commission member Tom Stark was not present. Commission members voting in support of the resolutions for the settlement agreements were Stump, Laura Coyne, Daniel Grimes and Steve Oyer.

The resolutions will also be presented to the City Council.

“I am relieved. This has been a long and difficult process,” City Council president Everett Thomas said this morning.

“Now we know where the road will be located. People who own property in the area can make long-range decisions about what they can do with their properties,” he said.

“I am also grateful that we finally added some additional roadway into the Waterford Commons PUD and believe that this road will greatly reduce traffic on Kercher Road,” he said.

Thomas said he would be willing to support using Major Moves money to build the road, but does not think there is enough support on the council for that to happen.

Tax Increment Financing funds may be used to purchase the land for the project.