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Downtown Nashville owners fight to keep property

Associated Press - November 21, 2009 10:45 AM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville property owners in the way of a proposed downtown convention center say they're concerned their properties will be seized and the facility may not even be built.

The Metro Development and Housing Agency is suing to seize the properties, which it wants to control by early January. However, the proposal hasn't been submitted to the Nashville City Council for a final vote.

Attorney Clark Tidwell is representing several property owners and says in his more than 40 years of litigating such cases he's never seen the city try to seize property before it knew for certain it would need it.

MDHA has offered the property owners about $31 million combined, but each party believes its property is worth more, even though MDHA officials say the offers are fair.

Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com

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