By A.J. Hazarabedian

The city of Rancho Cucamonga began eminent domain proceedings to acquire a private dirt road from the Viramontez family, as reported by the Daily Bulletin.  The city plans on widening the road to 210 feet by 30 feet from Base Line to “connect the already developed Shelby Place, south of Base Line.”

According to the article, “Rancho Cucamonga proceeding with eminent domain for road,” the city offered $14,000 for the rights to the road and the Viramontez family made a counter-offer of $30,500, based on an appraisal obtained by the family’s hired appraiser.

Plans call for widening and paving the road, which as stated by the city’s director of engineering, Mark Steuer, would “provide better access to the subdivision tract, enhance traffic flow and provide access to public safety.”

For the Viramontez family, this private road has sentimental value as they have owned the land since the early 1940s and currently live on a 2.7 acre parcel near Baseline Road and Shelby Place.

It is important to note that a property owner is not required to accept the condemning agency’s offer. Instead, the property owner may make a counter-offer, as the Viramontez family did in this case, or may assert a higher value for his or her property if and when an eminent domain action is filed in court.

Often times property owners, tenants and business owners receive higher, and in some cases much higher, compensation than the amount of the condemning agency’s offer by asserting a claim for greater compensation.  An experienced eminent domain attorney should be contacted to evaluate each case on its own merits and assist in determining the appropriate course of action to the particular case.

At this point, if the City of Rancho Cucamonga rejects the Viramontez family’s counter-offer, the Viramontez family and the City will have to fight it out in the Superior Court – a prospect which given the relatively limited amounts involved, will probably not make much sense for either side.