Worcester To Study Eminent Domain For Wyman Site
Worcester city councilors voted 10-1 last night to study the feasibility of taking property owned by Wyman-Gordon that is said to be considered for construction of a hotel and slots parlor.
The move was initiated by Mayor Joseph Petty, who stressed last night that the request to consider seizing the property by eminent domain had nothing to do with last week's news that prominent Cambridge-based developer Richard Friedman was interested in building a slots parlor and hotel on the site.
"In fact, I hope this is somewhat helpful in some way to get progress in that direction," Petty said.
At least week's meeting, some councilors were uneasy with the idea of gaming being brought to the 14-acre site near Kelley Square, which has largely been vacated by Wyman-Gordon in the last decade.
Petty said city leaders have been talking about developing the site for more than 10 years and that now is the time to act as "everything is lined up in the city" with projects like Gateway Park and CitySquare underway.
Wyman-Gordon and its parent company, Oregon-based Precision Castparts Corp., have been criticized by city officials for not working with them, ignoring calls and letters. Councilors expressed sentiments that asking City Manager Michael V. O'Brien to look into a takeover may prompt action by Wyman-Gordon.
"I do think, as a result of this council order, we will see not only discussion, but action," said District 2 Councilor Philip Palmieri, calling the site a "critical parcel" and the "biggest problem property" downtown.
District 5 Councilor William J. Eddy agreed, saying, "The message we've sent is the behavior of the last decade is not the behavior we're going to tolerate the next decade."
Palmieri noted that the issue of remediation costs on the site have been raised and that the report councilors are requesting will help determine how much it would be and how it would affect the property's value.
Councilor-At-Large Konstantina Lukes was the lone vote against the proposal, saying that although she doesn't want to see a slots parlor in the area, she feels the city could be interfering in a deal between a private property owner and private developer.
"The question is: Why in the world do we need to take it at this time?" she said, noting that no specific public use had been cited as a reason for a seizure. "Are we just interfering with negotiations between two private parties?"
Lukes recalled litigation that came out of the city's last eminent domain takeover involving Medical City and said she didn't want to repeat that process again. She asked for a report on the history of the city's land-taking and litigation, and costs associated with it.
"I really need to be convinced that Wyman-Gordon is acting against the city's best interests," she said.
Last week, Wyman-Gordon property manager Ronnie Brooks said he has worked with the city and has told interested developers they would need city approval. Brooks declined to comment this morning.
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