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Target of Springfield eminent domain, ‘Chicken Building' owners cry foul in court

SPRINGFIELD — Owners of 1208-1220 Main St. — the decrepit, vacant 'Chicken Building' — are fighting the Springfield Redevelopment Authority's eminent domain efforts in court, saying the $475,000 that the authority paid for it last year is too low. Owners Maple Investments Inc. sued this week in Hampden Superior Court, asking for compensation for damages. Maple Investments Inc. has owned the building since 1979, according to city records. The company's owners, according to state records, are Myron Katz and Karen Schmidt, both of Worcester. Maple Investments Inc. accepted the payment under protest, reserving the right to file this suit, called a compensation claim. The $475,000 amount was derived from an appraisal. The Chicken Building owes its name to the Crown Chicken restaurant that occupied the corner for many years, its tables and counters still visible through windows clouded with dirt, now an example of downtown blight. The other storefronts most recently had a small convenience store, a pawn shop, jewelry store and nail salon. In the lawsuit, Maple Investments says it was planning to redevelop the property on its own. The Springfield Redevelopment Authority began the eminent domain proceedings in June, filing papers with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, which disclosed the $475,000 in compensation. The Chicken Building at the corner of State and Main streets now sits with its facade deteriorating in the heart of a neighborhood that Springfield wants to redevelop. At other corners of the four-way intersection are key Springfield properties: the MassMutual Center, MGM Springfield and the Clock Tower Building at 113 State St. The Clock Tower Building is a centerpiece of the city's $70 million South Main Street Development Project, where work already has begun. To the north is 31 Elm, a $63 million Court Square redevelopment project. West Springfield gun buyback nets 34 guns Phone workers worried about lead on old lines wonder: Who will answer their call? 'This place is going to come alive': Pride stores founder unveils Hope Center for the Arts Read the original article on MassLive.