Court documents indicate a resolution may have been reached in an eminent domain lawsuit between the Columbia School District and the owners of property near Columbia Elementary School.
The school district and the property owners, the Royce family, have been discussing the sale of land and five homes on Mary Street for more than a year, since the District’s $10 million bond issue passed.
A trial in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald had been set for July 24 and July 25 but was not held last week, according to Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan.
If a resolution is not reached, the trial would be reset for October.
The Board of Aldermen in May voted to change the now-empty home located at 1616 High School Ave. from residential to commercial at the request of the Royces, who indicated there was commercial interest in it. The home, built in 1907, also sits on land desired by the school district for part of its construction project at Columbia Elementary.
School Board Attorney Drew Foxworth said at that May hearing that the district as a public body cannot pay more than the average of two appraisals but that appraisals came back lower than what the family was comfortable selling the properties for.
In the lawsuit, the school district seeks to have the court determine what a fair value would be, and the Royces would be able to present their evidence of what it’s worth.
The Columbia School District Board of Trustees will meet next at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10.
Pictured Above: This home on the corner of South High School Avenue and Mary Street is one of the properties being discussed. | Photo by Mark Rogers
