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Westminster Mall Seeks to Stop Illegal Seizure of the Mall by City

The suit asserts that the city and its urban renewal authority are engaged in an unlawful effort to seize control of the Westminster Mall property for economic and tax revenue reasons. Colorado law is very clear: no government can take your private property away from you and give it to someone else to redevelop because it wants to enhance its economic performance. That is exactly what Westminster is trying to do.

"This is an unlawful seizure of property by the City of Westminster, pure and simple. It's wrong and we're determined to stop it," said Leslie Fields, attorney for the Westminster Mall.

"The city's actions have created a cloud of condemnation over the mall making it impossible for the owners to do anything with their private property," added Fields.

For many years the Westminster Mall served as a major economic engine for the financial benefit of the City of Westminster. Since the mall opened more than 30 years ago, it has generated millions and millions of dollars in tax revenues for the City. However, the City has publicly expressed its dissatisfaction with the mall's inability to sustain that revenue stream. The City has taken steps to seize control of the property, demolish the mall, hand it off to another party to redevelop the land in accordance with the City's long-term vision of what it would like to see built, without regard to the private property rights of the owners.

"If the City of Westminster is successful in seizing control of the Westminster Mall for economic reasons, then the rights of every private property owner in Colorado are at risk," declared attorney Fields.

The Complaint requests that the City and WEDA's unlawful urban renewal activities be enjoined and that the owners of the mall receive just compensation for the significant damage and injury that these activities have caused and are continuing to cause.

SOURCE Westminster Mall