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October 5, 2005
The eminent domain fight-back
The NY Sun
Editorial
Empire State’s legislators are working to ensure that it’s harder for a New Yorker’s home to be seized to become someone else’s castle.
State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has proposed a bill that would require local review and approval of any project using eminent domain.
Mr. Brodsky’s legislative director,James Malatras,told The New York Sun that “it would affect the Ratner deal” — the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn — because the MTA would have to get local approval for the deal.
State Senator Carl Marcellino has introduced a bill to restrict use of eminent domain to blighted area and reign the definition of "blight." State Senator John DeFrancisco's bill would require local approval. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, James Alesi will be holding public hearings to get input from the public on eminent domain.
Locally, City Councilmember Letitia James:
has proposed a bill prohibiting the city from using the “power of eminent domain to take ownership of private property solely for economic development purposes.” It also bars city funds from being used as part of any state or local project that uses eminent domain to seize private property. A spokesman for the speaker of the city council, Gifford Miller, said the “speaker is looking at it and has not made a decision on it” yet.
Posted by lumi at October 5, 2005 7:55 AM