For the second time, the Town of Sanford is taking a vacant building as part of a mill district revitalization plan.
Last week the Town Council voted to pay an absentee owner $1 for the former Aerofab mill and $1 for an adjacent property. Last year the town paid $150,000 to take over the nearby Sanford Mill on Washington Street.
This use of eminent domain is rare in Maine, and across the country there is resistance to the idea of taking property to promote economic development. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court was widely criticized after it upheld the taking of homes in New London, Conn., to make way for a commercial/residential redevelopment project.
Critics of that ruling saw a fundamental unfairness in taking property from one owner so that another owner can put it to a more profitable use.
No real claim of unfairness can be made in Sanford’s acquisitions. Nevertheless, many may agree with Councilor Alan Walsh, who voted against the Aerofab taking and said, “I don’t agree with eminent domain.”
This belief must stem from a basic political philosophy, because the owners of the two properties have hardly taken steps to win public support. Both buildings were blighted and vacant and each property will require substantial public investment. The town will be better off with them under new ownership.
The Sanford Mill, a brick structure erected by Goodall in 1915, will be rehabilitated by a private developer as housing, retail space and offices. The wooden mill on the former Aerofab parcel will be razed to create space for parking for the mill complex. The town will use a $200,000 federal grant to help pay for an environmental cleanup.
Sanford deserves credit for taking aggressive steps to restore potentially valuable properties to productive use. The energy and money going into this project appears to be a sound investment in the future.
The decision to take the property was justified not only by its value for economic development, but also because of the deplorable condition of the buildings. Investors who buy blighted properties should be aware that they have an obligation to begin the necessary remedial work.
— Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen Schulze Muszynski or Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535 or kristenm@journaltribune.com or nickc@journaltribune.com.
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