The Haymarket Town Council cast the first of two votes Monday night that will eventually result in the government buying out private property along Washington Street to make room for sidewalks, light fixtures, cross walks and other pedestrian-friendly improvements.

Another vote regarding eminent domain is set to take place during the council's next monthly meeting in April. Until then, amendments and revisions can be made to deals for the 15 parcels of property along Washington Street discussed Monday, though not everyone is happy about it.

"They're pretty much killing the value of his property," said Acie Watts Jr., referring to his father's land at 14841 Washington Street. Watts said that though the Street Scape design looks nice, "they took three-fourths of the value" of the property his dad owns through widened sidewalks and other lanscaping changes.

"I knew they were not going to do anything about my or our concerns," said Maria Rafferty. She owns three parcels of land that will be affected by the council's decision. "Now it's in the record," she said.

Rafferty and her husband's properties are at 14871, 14845 and 14851 Washington Street and they are slated to lose thousands of square feet of land in exchange for money. She argued that her problem with the eminent domain "quick take" does not concern the design of the Street Scape but how it affects the land value in an economically expanding area filled with commercial property.

"You won't allow me to make it commercial," she said.

Marika Evans, who owns a building at the corner of Washington and Madison Streets, explained that aesthetics matter in her more than money because a corner location is hard to replace.

"It was our life savings for our children," she said. "How can they put a price on the landscaping to me when they're taking the looks?"

Sentiment from town council members interviewed after the meeting reflected the idea that while the members are not happy about having to take parts of land when their owners are against it, they believe it's in the best interest of the future of the town.

"I will consider all of that" said council member Milt Kenworthy about the residents' concerns, adding that if it was his land, he might be upset too.

He added however that the discussion about the Street Scape has been going "on and on" and it was time to move on.

Council member Sterling Brinson, who was appointed to the council in December and faced former council member David Leake during a Tuesday special election, shared Kenworthy's thoughts and said discussions about Street Scape have been going on "for a long time."

"For me based on my understanding, we were able to satisfy some of the major concerns with residents," said Brinson, referring to signs and landscaping.

The same went for council member Mary Lou Scarbrough, who added that there's still time to make changes.

"I think we have to move forward," she said. "It's better for the town."

Scarbrough added, "We have to do something. We have to be proactive or it'll never happen."