Street Project Takes a Turn for the Better

City officials have maneuvered around a legal bump in the road and plan to begin a major street-widening project within the year.

A plan to add right- and left-hand turn lanes at La Veta Avenue and Main Street was stalled in courts for nearly two years because the Daum family challenged the seizure of their property on that corner.

City attorneys tentatively settled with the Daums for just over $2 million at the end of last year, a family member said.

The city had originally offered $1.5 million for the property, which includes a shopping strip of six businesses across from the medical complexes of Children’s Hospital of Orange County and St. Joseph Hospital.

The Daums had successfully challenged the acquisition plan in Orange County Superior Court last July, arguing that the city was taking more property than it needed for the project. A judge agreed and directed the city to scale back the plan and to pay the Daums $2 million.

With that hurdle overcome, the City Council gave final approval to spending $2.17 million on the acquisition of property and construction of the turn lanes last week.

The modifications to the corner are the first phase of a long-range, $20-million project to widen La Veta, Main and Chapman Avenue from four to six lanes as traffic increases over the years.

City attorneys still have to negotiate with four or five more property owners, but public works officials said they believe the other acquisitions will go quickly now that the Daums have settled.

“If we didn’t get the Daums, there was no reason to get the other owners,” said Bob von Schimmelmann, assistant city engineer. “The widening of the street is still going to go.”