People Ex Rel. Dept. Pub. Wks. v. HOME TRUST INV.

Home Trust Investment Company and Bixby Hills Investment Company appeal from a judgment entered pursuant to a jury award of $526,000 as just compensation for condemnation of land to be used for freeway purposes.

On November 14, 1966, the date respondent filed its complaint in eminent domain, appellants were the owners of two large tracts of land (Tracts 21067 and 23482) in Long Beach. The proposed freeway was projected on Seventh Street, the southern boundary of the property. The property consisted of 288 R-1 zoned lots situated between Seventh Street and the Los Cerritos Drain, several R-3 zoned lots located north of the Los Cerritos Drain, and a large R-4 zoned lot situated north of Seventh Street and west of the R-1 property. The R-1 property is approximately bisected by Bixby Hill Road, which parallels Seventh Street to the north.

Appellants' property had been subdivided to become "a luxury class residential community." At the time this action was filed, several model homes had been constructed and some paving and curbing was completed. It appears that all of the improvements were located along Bixby Hill Road, and that no improvements had been made in…