City Locks Out Longtime Fresno Business Owner in Eminent Domain Fight Over Railroad Crossing Project
Art Terzian has run A&T Ceramics near McKinley and Blackstone for 40 years. Last year, Fresno police ordered him and his son Tony out of their own building, drilled out the locks, and handed the property to the city. Art says he never received a dime for it.
“I don’t know how they own it,” Art told reporters. “I didn’t get a red penny from them.”
The city claims it acquired the building through eminent domain in March of last year to make room for a major railroad crossing improvement project at the intersection — a project City Council President Mike Karbassi calls a public benefit, one the council and mayor have made a priority.
The project aims to lower the roadway below two railway crossings at an intersection known for deaths. City Attorney Andrew Janz says the project is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and “we’re not going to let one property owner get in the way of a project that’s going to benefit the public immensely.”
But Art and Tony haven’t agreed to leave. They say the building holds over $3 million in tile inventory, and relocating the business would be nearly impossible. Art told the city council in April 2024 that similar industrial properties in the area are scarce and expensive — even a small 5,000-square-foot warehouse can cost around $700,000, and he needs between 28,000 and 30,000 square feet to keep operating.
He proposed alternatives: dedicating part of the sidewalk or selling just the frontage to the city while keeping the rest of the property.
The city says it has set aside $1.5 million to move Terzian’s property to a safe location and has been trying for nearly a year. Janz says professional movers estimate it would take four to six months to clear the building, but Terzian has “impeded every attempt by the city.”
The fight took a sharper turn this month. On Friday, a fire broke out at the A&T Ceramics building — the third fire near the intersection in recent weeks. Investigators say this one was intentionally set.
“I want to be absolutely clear to your audience that this was a fire that was intentionally set by somebody,” Janz said. He added that officials have suspects in mind, but the investigation is ongoing.
The business remains filled with large amounts of tile material. Janz made it clear that if something happens to Terzian’s property, “it’s going to be on Terzian and not the city.”
The Terzians are now fighting the takeover in court. They want the city to buy them a new property outright.
“Is it over now?” a reporter asked. “No, it’s not,” Art said.
The Breakdown
- The City of Fresno says it acquired A&T Ceramics through eminent domain in March of last year for a railroad crossing improvement project at McKinley and Blackstone.
- Art Terzian, the owner for 40 years, says he never received payment and disputes the city’s ownership.
- Police locked Terzian and his son out of the building last year; the city says it has offered $1.5 million to relocate Terzian’s inventory, but no agreement has been reached.
- On a Friday this month, a fire — the third near the intersection in recent weeks — was intentionally set at the building, which still holds Terzian’s tile inventory. Investigators say they have suspects but the case is ongoing.
- The dispute is now in court; Terzian wants the city to buy him a new property, while the city says he has resisted their relocation offers.
What This Means for You
This is a test of how your city council and mayor’s office handle eminent domain — the power to take private property for public projects. The council voted to prioritize this railroad crossing project, and the mayor’s administration is carrying it out. Whether you believe that power is being used fairly here, or whether a 40-year business owner is being steamrolled for resisting an inadequate offer, is part of how you’ll judge this council and this mayor’s leadership when their names are on your ballot again.
The fire raises another question: who’s responsible for protecting property caught in a legal fight like this, and what happens when that protection fails?
What to Watch
The city frames this as one holdout blocking a public safety project. Terzian frames it as a city forcing him out without fair compensation or a real path to continue his business. The truth is likely somewhere between those two stories — but which version is closer matters.
Here’s what to watch: Did the city’s offer actually cover what it would cost Terzian to relocate and continue operating, or just to move his inventory into storage? A $1.5 million relocation budget sounds generous until you compare it to Terzian’s own estimate that finding and buying a replacement property of the size he needs would cost far more than that, and that similar properties are scarce.
Eminent domain is supposed to make property owners whole, not just technically compensate them. If the city’s offer wouldn’t actually let Terzian rebuild what he had, then the resistance isn’t stubbornness — it’s a business owner refusing to accept his own destruction as the price of a public project.
The fire is under investigation, but the timing is hard to ignore: three fires in recent weeks, all near the intersection where the city is clearing properties. Whether those fires are connected, and whether the investigation names anyone, will tell you a lot about what’s really happening at this intersection.
