EDMOND — The city has paid $1.65 million for 12 acres of property needed for multiple improvement projects.

The land south of Second Street and west of Interstate 35 was taken by eminent domain . City Council members voted at their Oct. 27 meeting to pay the price set by court-appointed commissioners following an executive session with City Attorney Madeline Sawyer.

Chris Borders, Lane Wheeler and Shaun Hogan were appointed to inspect the property and determined just compensation.

The city called the amount “excessive” in an exception to the commissioners’ report filed earlier in the day Oct. 27. It noted the owner paid $360,000 for the entire parcel in 2015, and now the value placed on one-third of that parcel was nearly five times as much.

The city claimed the commissioners based t

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