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Azalia King, a 91-year-old widow from Clay has filed a lawsuit against the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) to prevent her eviction from her home. King and her late husband, Glenn, signed an agreement in 2005 with OCIDA, allowing them to reside in their Caughdenoy Road home for the rest of their lives. Glenn passed away in 2015, and Azalia now seeks to uphold the agreement amid pressure from OCIDA to vacate the property for the development of Micron Technology’s chipmaking complex.
The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court, claims that OCIDA breached the 2005 agreement by issuing an eviction notice on September 4. King’s legal action requests the court to declare the eviction notice improper and to enforce the original agreement. Additionally, the suit seeks attorney fees. According to Syracuse.com, King wants to live out her remaining years in her home without further harassment from OCIDA.
OCIDA is pursuing both eviction and eminent domain proceedings to remove King from her home. The agency plans to hold a public hearing on the eminent domain process on Thursday (November 20) at Clay Town Hall. The county argues that the Micron project, which is expected to receive approval soon, necessitates the removal of King’s residence. In response, King’s son, Terry, has stated that the family will fight the county in court if necessary, emphasizing the importance of honoring the original agreement.
Negotiations between OCIDA and the King family have failed to reach a resolution. OCIDA initially offered King $5,000 to relocate, later increasing the offer to $100,000, which the family rejected. King’s family proposed that OCIDA purchase another piece of land owned by Azalia across the road, but no agreement was reached. The eviction notice requires King to vacate by January 16.