Lower Merion School District and "Friendly" Eminent Domain?

"Friendly" Eminent Domain? Now there's a funny phrase. Sorry..but it is funny to see such two such contradictory things in the same sentance...don't blame us, read about it, but remember that this is a PUBLIC purpose taking as opposed to private gain :

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LM Schools to use 'friendly' eminent domain
By: Cheryl Allison Main Line Life www.mainlinelife.com

Excerpt:

" "Friendly" and "eminent domain" aren't words that often turn up in the same sentence in Lower Merion these days.

But they are coming together to possibly solve one of the Lower Merion School District's most difficult dilemmas.

The school board Monday night passed resolutions to issue declarations of condemnation for three properties and to acquire a fourth parcel for school bus storage and to relocate its operations and transportation departments off the Lower Merion High School campus.

They will come at a price. District Business Manager Scott Shafer said costs to acquire the properties and provide any needed improvements will range between $12 million and $20 million.

.....Although eminent domain is being invoked, the process will not be an antagonistic one, of the kind some have feared might be an element in the township's Ardmore Redevelopment Plan. For starters, the taking will be for a public use, not for a broader public "purpose" of economic development.

These will be "friendly takings," "not necessarily contested" by the property owners, Schafer said. By exercising eminent domain, rather than simply purchasing the parcels, the school district will be required to pay costs of relocation borne by the owners.

The three properties that will be the subject of eminent domain proceedings are:
* 65 Rock Hill Road, an office building that will be used to house the Operations Department.

* 1151 Matson Ford Road (formerly Wilmington Piano), to be used as the bus repair garage.

* 1165 Matson Ford Road (Modern Equipment Rental). The building would be demolished to provide storage for 50 buses."

The school district will also acquire an office building parcel at 425 Belmont Ave. to house the buildings and grounds maintenance departments....The two Matson Ford Road properties, located in Lower Merion Township, are across the street from a residential neighborhood in West Conshohocken Borough. Raising issues of traffic impact, the borough has indicated it will fight the district's plan to put school buses there."

Full text: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16226386&BRD=1597&PAG=461&dept_id=188818&rfi=6