UNT has struck a $1.4 million deal with New York Sub Hub and Naranja Cafe on Avenue C to avoid using eminent domain to acquire the properties, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle.
Signature dates show the deal was made in early February and the money will be paid out Wednesday. Second-generation owner Hunter Christiansen told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the deal was brokered by father, Kenneth Christiansen, without his knowledge.
“The rest of the family had no idea that an agreement was made and we weren’t consulted before signing,” Hunter Christiansen said to the Denton Record-Chronicle. “We’re going to have to talk with UNT. It looks like we get a year after closing date.”
Kenneth Christiansen first opened the shop in 1979 and Hunter Christiansen, who has worked in the shop since he was 10 years old, said he aimed to keep the family business going.
“[Closing the shop] would hurt me for sure,” Christiansen said in a previous interview with the North Texas Daily. “I grew up in here. It’s an extension of myself, I feel like. It is one of those small businesses that Denton thrives on. To leave because we are unsuccessful is one thing, but to leave because we are forced out is another.”
The Board of Regents previously offered the Christiansen family $700,000 in June, but they denied the offer.
The Denton Record-Chronicle said according to the sale contract, the university will make a good-faith attempt to secure a lease with New York Sub Hub.
While Hunter Christiansen will have the opportunity to continue fighting for the store, the signing parties agreed to reduce the price by $100,000 if the business owners continue operation after the closing date.
The university is also seeking out the Eagle Car Wash on Kendolph Street, Campus Bookstore and the Oriental Express on Avenue C.
Featured Image: New York Sub Hub sign stands in front of the Avenue C construction on Feb. 21, 2020. Image by Ricardo Vazquez Garcia