By Town Crier Staff Report

The Los Altos City Council approved a resolution earlier this month that would allow staff to use condemnation to take over the leased businesses at the city-owned site on First and Main streets.

The resolution would “authorize staff to acquire outstanding leasehold interests in the city’s First Street property, and to take steps to qualify a resolution for condemnation, should such a resolution become necessary,” according to the resolution.The council is slated to decide next month whether to place a movie theater or hotel at the site, which is currently leased to The Home Consignment and Nielsen’s Martinizing Dry Cleaning. Both businesses have the option to renew their leases through 2006.

City Manager Phil Rose said the city clerk was revising the council’s March 13 decision during closed session to reflect this additional item, which had unintentionally been left out of the minutes of the previous council meeting.

The city is waiting for the results of a $20,000 city-funded economic study by San Francisco-based research firm Keyser-Marston before moving forward with any development plans for First and Main. Leaders of the Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos Village Association agreed to hold study sessions with their members once the results of the Keyser-Marston study are available.