Sugar Creek Mayor: Stupid or Dishonest?

BY DAVID MARTIN

The city of Sugar Creek has forced dozens of residents from their homes for the purpose of turning over a hunk of land to a private developer. But Mayor Stan Salva keeps insisting that the city isn’t using its power of eminent domain.

Last year, Sugar Creek officials approved tax-increment financing (TIF) for a retail development at the corner of U.S. Highway 24 and Sterling Avenue. The decision provoked outrage, since the development covers an area that includes 57 homes. City officials essentially decided that having a new supermarket was worth the trauma of obliterating a neighborhood.