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June 18, 2009
Apology Doesn’t Go Far Enough
LoHud.com
by Phil Reisman
Bill Brody, whose Port Chester, NY, property was taken by eminent domain for the "higher use" of a Stop & Shop and a parking lot, gets the last laugh, though it's hardly a hearty one.
There’s also an extraordinary final chapter to the Brody-Port Chester story. The village had to eat crow. As part of a settlement agreement, the village paid Brody $475,000 and publicly apologize. The apology came at a village board meeting Monday night…and set in stone at a settlement signing ceremony held today at Village Hall.
That’s not all. The village also agreed to rename the corner where Brody’s building stood—William Brody Plaza.
Having covered this story in the early years, I never thought I’d see anything like this happen.
However, the apology to Brody isn’t enough. The village should extend it to the scores of merchants, landlords and apartment dwellers who were bullied, terrorized and swindled during that terrible period.
Brody had the means and forbearance to fight back. Others didn’t. They had to cut their losses and leave.
NoLandGrab: For those who castigate the property owners who have stood fast in the way of Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project for getting in the way of progress, let us remind you that they are simply exercising their rights under the law — which all too often favors the powerful vs. the just.
Posted by eric at June 18, 2009 2:01 PM