GILROY
– The city is giving the owner of a boarded-up Monterey Street
Chinese restaurant until the end of this week to let an appraiser
on the premises.
GILROY – The city is giving the owner of a boarded-up Monterey Street Chinese restaurant until the end of this week to let an appraiser on the premises.
If the appraiser is not allowed onto the 7347 Monterey Street property, the city may be forced to enter eminent domain proceedings so the site can no longer stand in the way of Gilroy’s future arts and culture center.
Eminent domain is when a public agency takes private land for what the government deems a fair market price.
Loi Dong, the 83-year-old World War II veteran who owns the site, says he may now get an attorney to advise him whether to let the city back on his property. To date, Dong and his daughter-in-law have represented the family in its disagreement with the city.
A city-hired appraiser had valued the site at $97,000, vastly lower than what Dong believed the property was worth.
Dong hired his own appraiser, which the city paid for, who valued the property at $330,000.
Now the city wants a third appraiser to give a “second opinion.”
“How many more (appraisals) do they want?” Dong asked.
Bill Headley, the city’s facilities development manager, said the city is not at liberty to discuss why another appraisal is being sought. However, Headley confirmed the next appraisal would be done by a different appraiser, and appraisers often take different things that could affect the value of a property into account.
“Every appraiser is different,” Headley said.
One aspect of the property that the city and the Dong family are at odds over is the amount of money it would take to reopen the building.
Dong says his building is in good shape, with the exception of the ceiling. He claims $2,000 to $3,000 of repairs would be enough to reopen the building.
Headley would not get into details, but acknowledged the two parties disagree on that point.
Dong, a Gilroyan for 60 years, closed his restaurant more than nine years ago due to water damage. Dong said root systems from the city trees in front of his store destroyed his plumbing.
Dong appears to be at wit’s end over the matter. He claimed if he lost the court battle against the city he would take the matter to “the Supreme Court.”
Dong said if he lost in that court, he would light himself on fire before giving in to the city.
As for the other property owners at Seventh and Monterey streets, Headley said progress is being made.
“We are actively meeting with all property owners,” Headley said. “We anticipate success with one or more of those negotiations soon.”
So far, only one owner has signed a purchase agreement to sell its property to the city.
