Article 7. Property Acquisition of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 24. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 7.

"Real property" means:
  (a) Land, including land under water and waterfront property.
  (b) Buildings, structures, fixtures, and improvements on the land.
  (c) Any property appurtenant to or used in connection with the land.
  (d) Every estate, interest, privilege, easement, franchise, and right in land, including rights-of-way, terms for years, and liens, charges, or encumbrances by way of judgment, mortgage, or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens.

Within the survey area or for purposes of redevelopment an agency may:
  (a) Purchase, lease, obtain option upon, acquire by gift, grant, bequest, devise, or otherwise, any real or personal property, any interest in property, and any improvements on it, including repurchase of developed property previously owned by the agency.
  (b) Acquire real property by eminent domain.

On and after January 1, 2012, an agency shall obtain an appraisal from a qualified independent appraiser to determine the fair market value of property before the agency acquires or purchases real property pursuant to Section 33391.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, an agency with the approval of the legislative body of the community may acquire, by negotiation or other means, real property in a project area at any time after formulation of the preliminary plan for the area by the planning commission, and prior to the adoption of the redevelopment plan by the legislative body of the community, provided, however, that an agency may not exercise the power of eminent domain in connection with that acquisition prior to adoption of the redevelopment plan.

An agency shall not acquire from any of its members or officers any property or interest in property except through eminent domain proceedings.

Without the consent of an owner, an agency shall not acquire any real property on which an existing building is to be continued on its present site and in its present form and use unless such building requires structural alteration, improvement, modernization or rehabilitation, or the site or lot on which the building is situated requires modification in size, shape or use or it is necessary to impose upon such property any of the standards, restrictions and controls of the plan and the owner fails or refuses to agree to participate in the redevelopment plan pursuant to Sections 33339, 33345, 33380 and 33381.

Property already devoted to a public use may be acquired by the agency through eminent domain, but property of a public body shall not be acquired without its consent.

An agency at the request of the legislative body of the community may accept a conveyance of real property (located either within or outside a survey area) owned by a public entity and declared surplus by the public entity, or owned by a private entity. The agency may dispose of such property to private persons or to public or private entities, by sale or long-term lease for development. All or any part of the funds derived from the sale or lease of such property may at the discretion of the legislative body of the community be paid to the community, or to the public entity from which any such property was acquired.

(a) Any covenants, conditions, or restrictions existing on any real property within a project area prior to the time the agency acquires title to such property, which covenants, conditions, or restrictions restrict or purport to restrict the use of, or building upon, such real property, shall be void and unenforceable as to the agency and any other subsequent owners, tenants, lessees, easement holders, mortgagees, trustees, beneficiaries under a deed of trust, or any other persons or entities acquiring an interest in such real property from such time as title to the real property is acquired by an agency whether acquisition is by gift, purchase, eminent domain, or otherwise.
  (b) Thirty days prior to the acquisition of real property other than by eminent domain, the agency shall provide notice of such acquisition and the provisions of this section to holders of interests which would be made void and unenforceable pursuant to this section as follows:
  (1) The agency shall publish notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the community in which the agency is functioning.
  (2) The agency shall mail notice to holders of such interests if such holders appear of record 60 days prior to the date of acquisition. The agency may accept any release by written instrument from the holder of any such interest or may commence action to acquire such interest after the date of acquisition of the real property.
  (c) This section shall not apply to covenants, conditions or restrictions imposed by a redevelopment plan or by an agency pursuant to a redevelopment plan. This section also shall not apply to covenants, conditions or restrictions where an agency in writing expressly acquires or holds property subject to such covenants, conditions, or restrictions. This section shall not limit or preclude any rights of reversion of owners, assignees, or beneficiaries of such covenants, conditions, or restrictions limiting the use of land in gifts of land to cities, counties, or other governmental entities. This section shall not limit or preclude the rights of owners or assignees of any land benefited by any covenants, conditions, or restrictions to recover damages against the agency if under law such owner or assignee has any right to damages. No right to damages shall exist against any purchaser from the agency or his successors or assigns, or any other persons or entities.

Section 1245.260 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall not apply to any resolution or ordinance adopting, approving, amending, or approving the amendment of a redevelopment project or plan. Section 1245.260 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to a resolution adopted by a redevelopment agency pursuant to Section 1245.220 of the Code of Civil Procedure with respect to a particular parcel or parcels of real property.

(a) If a public entity has adopted a redevelopment plan but has not commenced an eminent domain proceeding to acquire any particular parcel of property subject to eminent domain thereunder within three years after the date of adoption of the plan, the owner or owners of the entire fee at any time thereafter may offer in writing to sell the property to the agency for its fair market value. If the agency does not, within 18 months from the date of receipt of the original offer, acquire or institute eminent domain proceedings to acquire the property, the property owner or owners may file an action against the agency in inverse condemnation to recover damages from the agency for any interference with the possession and use of the real property resulting from the plan, provided that this section shall not be construed as establishing or creating a presumption to any right to damages or relief solely by reason of the failure of the agency to acquire the property within the time set forth in this section.
  (b) No claim need be presented against a public entity under Part 3 (commencing with Section 900) of Division 3.6 of Title 1 of the Government Code as a prerequisite to commencement or maintenance of an action under subdivision (a), but any such action shall be commenced within one year and six months after the expiration of the 18 months period.
  (c) A public entity may commence an eminent domain proceeding or designate the property to be exempt from eminent domain under the plan at any time before the property owner commences an action under this section. If the public entity commences an eminent domain proceeding or designates the property to be exempt from acquisition by eminent domain before the property owner commences an action under this section, the property owner may not thereafter bring an action under this section.
  (d) After a property owner has commenced an action under this section, the public entity may declare the property to be exempt from acquisition by eminent domain and abandon the taking of the property only under the same circumstances and subject to the same conditions and consequences as abandonment of an eminent domain proceeding.
  (e) Commencement of an action under this section does not affect any authority a public entity may have to commence an eminent domain proceeding, take possession of the property pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 1255.410) of Chapter 6 of Title 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or abandon the eminent domain proceeding.
  (f) In lieu of bringing an action under subdivision (a) or if the limitations period provided in subdivision (b) has run, the property owner may obtain a writ of mandate to compel the public entity, within such time as the court deems appropriate, to declare the property acquisition exempt or to commence an eminent domain proceeding to acquire the property.
  (g) A declaration that property is exempt from acquisition by eminent domain shall be by resolution and shall be recordable. It shall exempt the property from eminent domain under the redevelopment plan, and the redevelopment agency shall have no power of eminent domain as to the property unless the redevelopment plan is thereafter amended to expressly make the property subject to acquisition by eminent domain.
  (h) With respect to redevelopment projects for which a final redevelopment plan has been adopted prior to January 1, 1977, the three-year period provided for in subdivision (a) shall begin as of January 1, 1977.