Murdock Village project puts some lives in limbo - Homeowners who refuse to sell or are negotiating are gripped by uncertainty
 
February 16, 2004
 
By Jamie Manfuso
 
 
HeraldTribune.com
 
801 S. Tamiami Trail

Sarasota, Florida 34236

941-957-5117
 
 
To submit a Letter to the Editor: tom.tryon@heraldtribune.com
 
Charlotte County - Last summer, heavy rains soaked the roof of David and Carolann Thibeault's home, causing water to leak onto the floor of their foyer.

Today, the ceiling drywall is still stained. David Thibeault said he doesn't want to spend a few hundred dollars to get the roof fixed, even though it might leak in a multi-day deluge.

The reason: the county wants to buy the house and raze it for Murdock Village, a multi-use development with homes, a town center and parks. If necessary, the county will attempt to use its condemnation powers to make the Thibeaults sell.

Why invest the money in home improvements when the house could face a demolition crew?

"I see (Murdock Village) as something they feel is good for the county," he said. "And I'm not going to stand in their way.

"I just don't like being in limbo."

Thibeault, 52, said the county appraised his home at $142,000 last year. He got angry, as he believes it's worth a lot more, and he hasn't heard from the county since. The county plans to condemn the house late this year if there's no deal.

The homeowners who don't want to sell to the county or simply haven't reached an agreement say they deal with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness that few people contemplate.

The uncertainties range from the day-to-day -- whether to paint a room -- to long-term plans. Homeowners don't know how long they'll be there or how much money they'll have to buy a new home.

"Every little freaking thing is in the air," said Donna Whittington, one of the project's most vocal critics.

By the county's condemnation schedule -- which is subject to change -- Whittington's house won't be condemned for another year. She has hired an attorney to negotiate before that time.

Whittington said she hasn't fertilized her lawn the last two times she was supposed to, leaving her yard looking "like hell."

"I'm just letting it go," she said. "I'm not putting money into it if they're going to make me leave."

She isn't painting the inside of the house, although she said it's badly needed.

The tensions have led to short tempers and arguments with her husband, Bill.

"We've never fought," she said. "We've been married 26 years."

The anxieties are sometimes a function of the inability of owners and the county to reach a deal. In other cases, owners are protesting the county's use of eminent domain.

But the risks of the redevelopment project and the unsure pace of land acquisition have also made property owners feel they are at the mercy of the county.

In March 2003, the county commissioners, wary that speculators would drive up land prices, decided to snatch up any and all properties for the project. Their targets included 16 developed business properties, 77 single-family houses, a few churches and more than 2,000 vacant lots -- zoned residential, commercial and office-medical. The county plans to sell all of those lands to a developer.

It's been a wild ride ever since.

After scooping up dozens of vacant commercial lots, plus three businesses that cost a combined $2.5 million, the commissioners decided in October to halt those purchases.

They said that would lower their level of risk on the project.

"If we've completely blown our analyses on this, we have a chance to stop this before it gets worse," Commissioner Matt DeBoer said at the time.

Many commercial property owners had protested the county's efforts to take their lands, most of which are on or near U.S. 41 and State Road 776. How soon the county comes for their land -- if it comes at all -- depends on the success of the project.

"All you can do is take things one day at a time until you hear something concrete," said Joan Raimer, co-owner of Raimer's Motors, 647 Tamiami Trail.

The county's acquisition of homes has been more steady, though hardly without a hitch. In January, with $20 million in loans almost tapped out, the commissioners ordered a halt to buying from voluntary sellers.

Last Tuesday, the board agreed to get a $10 million loan, enough to proceed through the first four phases of eminent domain and some voluntary sales. Ten phases are planned, with the commercial properties last.

The county plans to start on the west side of Murdock Village and move east. But that may change after developers give their feedback.

Paul Payette, the county's real-property services manager, said the county has bought or committed to buy 44 of the 77 homes. While the county will negotiate with homeowners, Payette said the board has instructed him to work within the financing available.

In the unlikely scenario that he was overwhelmed with homeowners willing to sell, the money wouldn't be there unless the commissioners approved more financing.

To be sure, many homeowners say that, even if they didn't want to leave, the county has treated them fairly. Offers typically start out at 20 percent above the values set by professional appraisers.

And others have been happy to sell their properties, the majority of which are vacant residential lots without water or sewer service. In many instances, the owners haven't paid taxes for several years.

Mark and Brenda Bala sold a 10,000-square-foot lot with no utilities to the county for $3,000 this fall. They bought it in 1982 for $1,200.

"I'm happy to get rid of it," said Mark Bala, a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office lieutenant.

For every Donna Whittington, there may be dozens of Mark Balas.

But Whittington and others still live there.

Mary and Kenneth Guenther have lived on Scottwood Avenue for 17 years. They have 27 fruit trees, and grow bananas, lemon, orange and grapefruit on two neatly manicured lots. Her 2,000-square-foot house has a hot tub, a spacious lanai, and a workshop where she does stained glass work and other jobs.

Mary Guenther, whose home is scheduled for condemnation late this year, said she would like to fight the county in court. Still, mustering the courage to fight gets harder with every home in her neighborhood that's sold and demolished. In the fall, a sheriff's Special Weapons and Tactics team staged mock raids of the houses for drills. One house, its door broken and windows knocked out, remained standing until recently.

"As our neighborhood empties out … you end up feeling like you're the only one around," she said. "And that leaves you vulnerable."

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