Eminent Domain and Economic Growth

Eminent domain is integral to a government’s legal ability to take private property for a public purpose. If used correctly, the owners are paid the fair market value for their property, few citizens are inconvenienced and everyone benefits. Bad-faith abuses of eminent domain typically make the front pages of news outlets, and receive news coverage from television stations, in cities throughout our nation. To educate citizens and prevent future abuse, this book exposes both the good and the bad aspects of government’s ability to use their power of eminent domain to acquire private property.

Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Ph.D., is vice provost for global affairs as well as chair and Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He founded GGU’s law enforcement and security program and is a San Francisco advocate for the safety and security of Filipino American kids and their families.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Jonathan Rosenthal, MPA, AICP, has more than 35 years of experience in economic development serving Syracuse and Onondaga counties as well as the cities of Des Moines, New Haven, and Bristol. He has built and filled business parks and assisted hundreds of businesses that have created thousands of good jobs.

Edited by Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III , Roger L. Kemp and Jonathan Rosenthal
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 309
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7081-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3241-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Part I: The Basics
1. A Summary of Kelo v. New London  Jennifer Schultz 7
2. History of the Federal Use of Eminent Domain (U.S. Department of Justice) 9
3. Eminent Domain, Condemnation and Compensation (U.S. Department of Justice) 12
4. A Brief History of the Takings Clause (Edward J. Sullivan) 14
5. Eminent Domain and Takings Law Under the U.S. Constitution (Jacob T. Cremer and Joseph Y. Whealdon) 23
6. APA Policy Guide on Takings  American Planning Association 27
7. Acquiring Real Property for Federal and ­Federal-Aid Programs and Projects (U.S. Department of Transportation) 39
8. When a Public Agency Acquires Your Property (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) 45
9. Eminent Domain Process in California and the Property Owner’s Rights (Bradley D. Pierce) 50
10. What Commercial Landlords, Tenants and Lenders Need to Know (B. Joan Davis) 56
11. Eminent Domain and Condemnation  (B. Joan Davis
and Matthew M. Lawless) 59
Part II: The Discussions
A. Supporters
12. Eminent Domain: New London’s Story (Richard Brown) 63
13. Public Administrators Impact America’s Economic Future
(David J. Robinson) 66
14. Eminent Domain and Economic Development (David J. Robinson) 69
15. Understanding Eminent Domain for Economic Development (Jonathan Rosenthal) 71
16. Discussion with New London’s Legal Counsel, Part 1 (Jonathan Rosenthal) 79
17. Is There Abuse of Eminent Power for Economic Development? (Jonathan Rosenthal) 85
18. Private Gain by Eminent Domain (Jonathan Rosenthal) 88
19. Municipal ­Do-It-Yourself Guide to Eminent Domain (Jonathan Rosenthal) 90
20. Domain Poisoning (Christopher Swope) 97
21. Healthy Makeover (Nadejda Mishkovsky) 102
22. Keys to Using Eminent Domain for Urban Revitalization (Anne Barton and George Proakis) 104
23. Eminently Sensible (Stanley Leasure and Ray Gosack) 107
24. Is Eminent Domain for Economic Development Constitutional? (Jerold S. Kayden) 110
25. Be Proactive When It Comes to Eminent Domain (Gilda V. Bryant) 117
26. Congress Shouldn’t Act as a National Zoning Board  National League of Cities 121
27. Can Eminent Domain Help End the Foreclosure Crisis?  (Penelope Lemov) 123
28. Underwater Mortgages: Can Eminent Domain Bail Them Out?
(Anthony F. Dellapelle and Cory K. Kestner) 126
B. Reformers
29. Atlantic City Condemnation: Vera Coking (Institute for Justice) 133
30. History of Eminent Domain and Its Abuse (Castle Coalition 138
31. Fifty State Report Card Tracking Eminent Domain Reform Legislation Since Kelo (Castle Coalition) 140
32. Call Your State Leaders to Support Eminent Domain Reform (Richard Thorpe) 143
33. Eminent Domain Reform: What We Want in a Bona Fide Offer (Richard Thorpe) 146
34. Land Grab (Rob Gurwitt) 149
35. Washington County Landowners Caught in Eminent Domain Fight
with Rover (Anya Litvak) 154
36. Threat of Eminent Domain Has New Rochelle Landowner at Odds Over Site’s Worth (Bill Heltzel) 158
37. Full of Scrap: Eminent Domain Efforts Sell Scrapyards Down the River (Lisa Gordon) 160
38. Eminent Domain Cases Arise from Idaho Transportation Department Project (Sean Olson) 162
39. Corridor Is Leading to Some Anxiety (Jay Miller) 164
40. Many Bridges Left to Cross (Chad Livengood) 167
41. An Indecent Proposal? (Christina Jenkins) 170
42. Eminently Controversial 1 (Chris Sieroty) 176
43. Eminently Controversial 2 (Terry Sheridan) 178
44. Taking Notes (Terry Sheridan ) 184
45. Eminent Domain as Central Planning (Nicole Gelinas) 189
Part III. The Future
46. The Real Losers from Trump’s Border Wall (Josh Israel) 195
47. A Tale of Two Cities (Jeffrey W. Lem) 199
48. Community vs. Individual (Lisa Vorderbrueggen) 202
49. Person or Property? Law as Classification (David Schultz) 206
50. Tragedy or Triumph in ­Post-Katrina New Orleans? (John A. Lovett) 208
51. Climate, Takings and the U.S. Supreme Court (Michael Allan Wolf) 219
52. Convention Center’s Issues Expand (Lou Hirsh) 222
53. Oklahoma Legislators Debate Eminent Domain (Janice ­Francis-Smith) 224
54. Recent Court Decisions on Real Estate and Valuation (Alan M. Weinberger and Scott B. Mueller) 226
Appendices
I. Glossary (Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III and Jonathan Rosenthal) 235
II. Kelo v. City of New London (U.S. Supreme Court) 240
III. Berman v. Parker  (U.S. Supreme Court) 249
IV. Discussion with New London’s Legal Counsel, Part 2 (Jonathan Rosenthal) 255
V. State Eminent Domain Legislation and Ballot Measures (Larry Morandi) 267
VI. Eminent Domain Resolution (U.S. Conference of Mayors) 275
VII. APA Amicus Briefs (American Planning Association) 277
VIII. State Municipal League Directory 287
IX. State Library Directory 289
About the Editors and Contributors 293
Index 297