NEW HAVEN — City officials are weighing the use of eminent domain to acquire the 8.6-acre island that houses the long-idle English Station power plant if negotiations with the owners fail, a move aimed at transforming the contaminated industrial site into a public park and outdoor pool. The option is spelled out in a Jan. 9 letter and proposed order sent by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers. The administration is seeking alder approval to pursue the acquisition of Ball Island, a property the state has indicated it is willing to remediate. The order would authorize the city to negotiate with the property’s owners — Paramount View Millennium LLC and Haven River Properties LLC — to purchase the site, which the city hopes to rename the “Park at Mill River.” It also includes language allowing the city to initiate eminent domain proceedings if a voluntary sale cannot be reached. “Be it further ordered that if it is not possible to negotiate the terms and conditions of a mutually acceptable conveyance … then the mayor is hereby authorized to direct the filing of eminent domain proceedings,” the order states, citing authority under the city charter and state law.
New Haven weighs eminent domain to acquire English Station for waterfront park
