The Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency is reviewing the process of taking over the Roth Steel scrapyard along Onondaga Lake by eminent domain.
Ryan McMahon, chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature, asked the Industrial Development Agency to look into the procedure and says the IDA will do an environmental review of the property with potential public hearings.
Roth Steel, which closed the scrapyard in 2014, was recently sold to the Canadian-based company, American Iron & Metal.
McMahon says the company plans to continue to operate the property as a junk and scrapyard.
“We just don't believe that that's an appropriate use on the waterfront that this community spent decades and millions of dollars cleaning up,” McMahon said. “It's a tremendous opportunity that I think now we need to step in and reclaim some of that industrial use land, when we can.”
McMahon says the Industrial Development Agency has a natural claim to the property because they are one of the creditors and Roth Steel owes them money. McMahon says he hopes the Canadian company will still do business in Onondaga County at a different location.
