Is Eminent Domain Threat Back in Sunset Hills? Tonight 7pm City Hall

After a New Year's Eve 2010 tornado destroyed a handful of homes on a busy corner in Sunset Hills, some likely saw the potential to turn that ravaged spot into commercial development.

And now, Wednesday night, the Sunset Hills Planning and Zoning board will consider changes to the city's master plan for development, which could ultimately make it possible for the city to entertain commercial development proposals for tornado corner.

The corner of Lindbergh Boulevard and West Watson Road was hit by an EF2 tornado, totally destroying a handful of houses and ripping roofs off the others in its path. No one was killed.

Right now, the property is zoned residential and sits next to a modest commercial zone on Lindbergh.

Some victims of the recent tornado have little interest in rebuilding at the site, but others may want to stay and fix what remains of their houses. Either way, selling to commercial buyers at that location may be a lucrative option in a city with typically high-priced real estate.

Some say Sunset Hills is still reeling from a 2004 debacle in which developers promised to buy up Sunset Manor houses in a bid for commercial development, but angry public outcry led the bank to refuse financing for the developer. The project stalled, and political careers were made and ruined in subsequent elections.

However, it seems that tornado corner is already emptied of houses and trees, and may not necessarily involve eminent domain action at all, simply zoning or re-zoning.

At 7 p.m., Sunset Hills City Hall, planning and zoning officials will consider a proposal to change the master plan, and therefore potentially zoning, at the tornado site.