‘Kelo vs New London’ Revisited

Properties were seized and a neighborhood razed in the name of ‘economic development’ that never came.....

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/kelo-revisited_776021.html

This whole mess was just wrong. Very long read.

I am sure there are stories just like that in just about every major US city over the last 10 years. In 2006 and 2007, eminent domain was used to blight an entire section of Crestwood, MO. They insisted that if they demolished over 20 houses, that they could build a strip mall and gas station that would help the city. The people fought it tooth and nail, some actually taking up arms against the developers when they came to the area. In the end most sold out at well below market value, and the others got to keep their homes as the developer filed Chapter 11. By then the damage was done as half the homes were looted, boarded up, or literally gutted by the former owners. The remaining owners houses dropped 90% in value. A gas station did end up getting built there, along with a strip mall, but with heavy tax subsidies.

New London is a sad sad area. But my town isn't far behind... To be honest.

17 years in Connecticut, and I left as fast as I could!

Even in the town I lived in, they had similar issues with giving people the boot from their homes. One such instance was so that they could widen a road for the sole purpose of putting in a right turn line on a road that was practically in the middle of nowhere.

Sap and Supe, I've heard very similar thoughts from folks who have families there. I always thought Conn. was a nice, but pricey place.

There's a lot of corruption in Government here I think. The Casinos pay the state some ridiculous amount of money, like 30 million a month or something, and yet the state still has no money... the income taxes are really high, yet the state still has no money. It's a small state, where is all this money going? Seriously, where's it going?

Sapper said:

There's a lot of corruption in Government here I think. The Casinos pay the state some ridiculous amount of money, like 30 million a month or something, and yet the state still has no money... the income taxes are really high, yet the state still has no money. It's a small state, where is all this money going? Seriously, where's it going?

Click to expand...

I'm about at my wits end with gov corruption and/waste. Seems no matter who you vote for, they all turn crooked. Seriously. At ALL levels.

I also wonder if I should just tune out of the world, enjoy myself, and just ignore it, or keep trying to change it, which, so far, hasn't don much but frustrate me.

Most people don't give 2 cents about local elections. (County/City) but the idiots that run for those offices usually can do far more damage to you personally than the state and federal folks.

They control zoning, can put a liquor store next to your house, some can even control the school districts.and most people just don't really give the local elections a second thought....

Think how much damage can be done to an area long term by shitty development.... We have all seen boarded up grocery stores, low rent apartments that started out "nice", and how a poorly planned "mix use" development can die quickly and cause an entire area to be blighted...

Road Guy said:

Most people don't give 2 cents about local elections. (County/City) but the idiots that run for those offices usually can do far more damage to you personally than the state and federal folks.

They control zoning, can put a liquor store next to your house, some can even control the school districts.and most people just don't really give the local elections a second thought....

Think how much damage can be done to an area long term by shitty development.... We have all seen boarded up grocery stores, low rent apartments that started out "nice", and how a poorly planned "mix use" development can die quickly and cause an entire area to be blighted...

Click to expand...

This.

Capt Worley PE said:

I also wonder if I should just tune out of the world, enjoy myself, and just ignore it, or keep trying to change it, which, so far, hasn't don much but frustrate me.

Click to expand...

This is pretty much the philosophy I live by for the reasons that you state, for better or worse.

Road Guy said:

Most people don't give 2 cents about local elections. (County/City) but the idiots that run for those offices usually can do far more damage to you personally than the state and federal folks.

They control zoning, can put a liquor store next to your house, some can even control the school districts.and most people just don't really give the local elections a second thought....

Think how much damage can be done to an area long term by shitty development.... We have all seen boarded up grocery stores, low rent apartments that started out "nice", and how a poorly planned "mix use" development can die quickly and cause an entire area to be blighted...

Click to expand...

QFT.

Capt Worley PE said:

I'm about at my wits end with gov corruption and/waste. Seems no matter who you vote for, they all turn crooked. Seriously. At ALL levels.

Click to expand...

Heard Clay Akin was running for some office down there... maybe he'll end up turning straight?

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

engineergurl said:

Capt Worley PE said:

I'm about at my wits end with gov corruption and/waste. Seems no matter who you vote for, they all turn crooked. Seriously. At ALL levels.

Click to expand...

Heard Clay Akin was running for some office down there... maybe he'll end up turning straight?

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

Click to expand...

I have no idea who that is....

wrong state anyway...

http://swampland.time.com/2014/02/05/american-idol-star-clay-aiken-running-for-congress/

Now I know why I had no idea who he was.

oh well, I still thought it was funny...

We studied that case last spring in my Construction Management grad class.

Michigan law does not allow eminent domain for private development.

But the one case we studied locally, a key parcel had to be taken for a redevelopment to move forward so the taken parcel became the parking ramp for the surrounding businesses. The ramp will remain publicly owned so it's legal... shady though.

We did an actual needed road project in a blighted area and we had a developer with politicial connections come in and ask if we could make a 50 foot "grass strip" between the back of curb and where the sidewalk begins...

basically so we could condem the property and then "donate" to the develope down the road..

and he did it with a straight face!