ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AVC News) — A Muskingum County Common Pleas judge has dismissed the City of Zanesville’s eminent domain lawsuit seeking to acquire property owned by The Anchor Church.
The city filed the petition in December 2025 after negotiations to purchase the nearly four-acre Beaumont Street property were unsuccessful. The case proceeded through months of motions, discovery and a two-day bench trial in May.
In an Aug. 5 judgment, Judge Kelly Cottrill dismissed the city’s petition, finding the city failed to prove the taking of the property was necessary and did not negotiate with the church in good faith before filing the eminent domain action.
The ruling states the city failed to satisfy the legal requirements needed to proceed with the appropriation and cites findings that municipal officials acted in bad faith during negotiations.
The judge rejected separate legal arguments raised by the church under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and equitable estoppel, but those findings did not affect the ultimate outcome of the case.
The court entry concludes, “The Plaintiff’s Petition is hereby dismissed.”
Court records do not indicate whether the City of Zanesville intends to appeal the decision.
Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by AVC News
