BOISE, Idaho — A lengthy fight between the Ada County Highway District and the owners of a State Street smoked meats shop is over after the two sides reached a settlement this week.
ACHD agreed to pay Smoky Davis owners Gary and Dee Davis $1.8 million for 5,000 square feet of their land and the Smoky Davis building, which was demolished by the highway district in 2018 as part of the State Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway intersection widening project.
The settlement amount is more than seven times the $248,260 ACHD originally offered the couple for Smoky Davis. The Davises contended that number was too low, and asked ACHD for more than $2 million.
The disagreement ended up in court. The owners contended that ACHD should compensate them for the building and land, as well as cover the cost of rebuilding the business on the same parcel, where it had stood since 1953.
ACHD's lawyers disagreed, arguing that the amount the Davises sought was more than the property was worth.
"We do not believe that the Davises are entitled to a windfall that would give them more than what they had," the highway district wrote in a 2019 blog post. "It would be irresponsible for ACHD to simply pay the Davises $2.2 million without fighting it in court when it does not believe this claim is supported by the facts or the law."
The settlement was authorized Wednesday, and functions as "a full and complete satisfaction and settlement of all claims between ACHD and the Davises arising from this condemnation action, including but not limited to all claims for just compensation, damages, business damages, interest, attorney fees, and costs."
It's unclear whether the business will reopen now that the lawsuit is over.
An ACHD spokeswoman declined to comment, citing a confidentiality clause in the agreement. The Davises and their lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
