ROCKLAND, Maine (AP) Officials in Rockland, Maine, say they’re prepared to seize a waterfront roadway by eminent domain to preserve one of the two routes that provide access to the city’s Harbor Park.

City Manager Tom Luttrell tells the Bangor Daily News that the property owner’s plan to build a new restaurant caught officials by surprise.

The property owner is tearing down a restaurant and building a new one. But the new structure must be moved onto the road to keep it out of the tidal zone. It turns out the city neither owns the road nor has an easement ensuring access to the road.

Luttrell said eminent domain could be invoked because he’s failed to reach an agreement that would allow the restaurant to be built without blocking the roadway.
___
Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangordailynews.com