Before the municipality considers potential expropriation efforts to clean up some areas downtown, Niagara Falls city council wants an education on how the process exactly works.

"Perhaps we can look at the cost, and not specifically of the properties, but the cost of actually going through the process - the time it takes, the pros, the cons, any examples," said Coun. Victor Pietrangelo.

Council supported Pietrangelo's position.

The veteran politician was responding to a recent story published in The Niagara Falls Review.

In the story, Mayor Jim Diodati suggested expropriation as one possible way to deal with "some of the slumlords and absentee landlords in our downtown."

Diodati said he believes it's time the city consider taking action to clean up the appearance of some areas downtown, with the arrival of daily commuter GO train service on Bridge Street and as city leaders continue to push for an innovation centre in partnership with Ryerson University.

"This will need council's buy-in and will need council's support, but I think we're going to need to consider one of the municipal tools in our toolbox, which would include expropriation for any slumlords or absentee landlords," Diodati said in a recent interview.

"They're letting (buildings) rot, decay, fall down and creating not only danger, but an unsightly downtown. I think it's embarrassing and disgusting when you get off a train or a bus and you look at some of those buildings. I think it's deplorable, and we've given these landlords years. We've given them financial incentives. We've given them time, and we've created incentives with the GO train and Ryerson, and some of them have not lifted a finger."

In the interview, Diodati said he would like to see staff present some options to council to improve Bridge Street and the adjacent area.

He said when it comes to expropriation, landowners are paid "the full value of the building according to appraisers, not speculators."

"We would take ownership. We would, in most cases, demolish and then they would be fully compensated for the value of the building and the land. Then, we would move on it and come up with a master plan."

Diodati said expropriation has been used "very successfully in downtown Brantford as well as many other municipalities."

During council's most recent meeting, Pietrangelo said an information report on the whole idea would "probably be appropriate," especially given the fact the new council has two fresh faces in Coun. Lori Lococo and Coun. Chris Dabrowski.

"The only expropriation I can ever remember going through is ones that deal with buying a piece of a roadway so that we can widen a road . things of that nature," said Pietrangelo.

"I don't ever remember going down the road where we're expropriating properties."

Raymond.Spiteri@niagaradailies.com

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905-225-1645 | @RaySpiteri