It's been something of an eminent domain-filled day so far, with three events focusing on the state and city's ability to acquire private land, particularly for economic development: First a hearing, then a press conference, and a scheduled court appearance.
Why all the fuss?
A number of the larger private development projects in the city--the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, Columbia University's planned West Harlem expansion and the proposed redevelopment of Willets Point in Queens, to name a few--plan to use eminent domain to take property and create large, contiguous space for new development. Naturally many of the affected property owners are resistant, and some lawmakers have taken an interest in the issue, calling for more restrictions on the tool's use. read more »
