Land offer to Norman is $1.4 million

By Jane Glenn Cannon

Published: August 12, 2008

NORMAN — Owners of land next to the George M. Sutton Wilderness in east Norman have offered to sell the property to the city for $1.4 million. Council members will consider the offer when they meet at 6:30 p.m. today at city hall, 201 W Gray St.

If accepted, the offer from Doug Greeson and John Mertens would end a condemnation lawsuit that is pending in Cleveland County District Court.

The city filed the action more than a year ago to acquire about 54 acres east of Porter Avenue on the south side of Rock Creek Road to keep a housing addition from being built along the western bound-ary of the 160-acre Sutton Wilderness.

Three court-appointed commissioners have assessed the fair market value of the property at $800,000. The city's appraisal was $650,000, while Greeson and Mertens contend the land is worth more than $1.9 million.

City Attorney Jeff Bryant is recommending the city council settle the condemnation lawsuit and accept the $1.4 million offer.

Without a settlement, the case likely will take years to litigate because of the legal issues involved, Bryant said in a memo to council members.

A jury would be asked to determine the value of the land, he said, and if the jurors found it to be more than $880,000, the city would be liable for attorneys' fees and the property owners' cost of litigation.

The city could end up having to pay much more than $1.4 million if the case continues to trial, he said.

If the council votes to settle the case, the settlement amount will be reduced to a judgment and placed on the property tax rolls for collection over a three-year period, Bryant said.

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