Redevelopment Officials, Chiropractor Tangle Over Property Value

SAN JOSE, CA-Redevelopment officials in San Jose, Calif., have hit a snag in Scott Dower.

Dower, a chiropractor with a practice near the city’s McEnery Convention Center, has had the city offer him upwards of $750,000, or more than $80 per sf, for his two lots. San Jose wants to expand the center and wants to buy nearby property in order to do so.

But Dower, who bought the office for $100,000 in 1979, says the space is worth three times that price and won’t sell until he sees a comparable offer. City officials, he claims, have used inappropriate property comparisons in coming up with their offer.

For their part, redevelopment officials have started the process of condemning his property and gaining the land. Dower is scheduled for a hearing in late October to discuss the matter.

If his property were indeed condemned, Dower would get the city’s $750,000 offer and would then need to seek legal recourse to receive more.