Hercules Officials Schedule Meeting To Begin Eminent Domain Procedures At Sycamore North

The Hercules City Council will hold a special meeting on Aug. 20 to decide whether to begin eminent domain procedures at the partially completed Sycamore North residential-retail complex.

City leaders are seeking access to an alley that is owned by the Bayside Home Owners Association, the group that represents the 330 single-family homes near the project.

City officials say the alley is needed for emergency access.

Bayside board members have told city leaders they want the top two floors of the four-story complex removed before they'll agree to hand over the alley easement. The developer has said that request is unacceptable.

In his weekly online report, Hercules City Manager Steve Duran said he emailed association representatives on Wednesday asking for a meeting to work out an agreement. However, he has not heard back from them.

The weather-wrapped Sycamore North project, now known as Town Centrale, has been in the works for more than five years. It was first owned by the city, which spent $35 million on the project.

However, the city began negotiations last year to sell the development to Presidio Development Partners. That transaction is now in escrow.

The project now calls for 140 apartments on the top three floors and 10,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor.