PHOENIX (AP) - A dispute from light rail construction in Phoenix is the basis for an Arizona Supreme Court ruling on compensation for property owners in condemnation cases.
Phoenix had filed a condemnation suit to determine what compensation was owed a downtown parking lot’s owner when light rail construction blocked access from Jefferson Street.
The property still had access from another street, and Phoenix argued that the owner wasn’t entitled to compensation for loss of access from Jefferson Street because the property wasn’t landlocked.
However, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the owner can claim compensation for damages even if another street still provides access.
The ruling sends the case back to a trial judge to consider whether the permanent loss of access to Jefferson Street decreased the property’s fair market value.
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