Eminent Domain Spreads to Williamsburg Waterfront
How would you feel if you’d been smart enough to buy waterfront property in Williamsburg before Dan Doctoroff knew the difference between Bedford and Broadway only to have your property snatched away from you by the city? Probably something like the two groups of investors who are in the process of getting pushed out by…
How would you feel if you’d been smart enough to buy waterfront property in Williamsburg before Dan Doctoroff knew the difference between Bedford and Broadway only to have your property snatched away from you by the city? Probably something like the two groups of investors who are in the process of getting pushed out by the forces of eminent domain to make way for a possible soccer and softball field. This time around, the city isn’t claiming blight; instead it’s invoking the concept of public good. The land, which is bounded by Kent Avenue, the East River, North 9th Street and North 10th Street in Williamsburg, is just to the north of the recently-opened East River State Park between North 8th and North 9th streets and lies at the southern end of the proposed Bushwick Inlet Park that the city’s had on the drawing boards for the past couple of years; the parcel represents phase 1 of the park project. The grand vision for the park extends north from North 9th Street about six blocks to the far side of the Bushwick Inlet. This is far from a done deal, though, according to The Real Deal, which first reported the ED action: Three land owners in the center of the footprint—TransGas, CitiStorage and the Greenpoint Monitor Museum—aren’t taking the city’s overtures lying down. “[The land] was donated and we are not giving it up,” said Janice Lauletta-Weinmann, president and co-founder of the Greenpoint Monitor Museum, told TRD. “It is a disgrace.” One remaining issue to be resolved in the North 9th Street case is price: Typically the city pays a token amount to the owners upfront and then litigates the final amount. The market value is probably somewhere between $100 and $200 per buildable square foot, according to Massey Knakal. It’ll be interesting to see what the final price is. Do you think this situation merits the use of eminent domain?
City Takes W’burg Waterfront Properties for Park [The Real Deal] GMAP
“ED should be reserved for rare and extreme circumstances, in our opinion, not just as a matter of convenience.”
Like, gimme an example of “rare and extreme circumstance” in which you would approve a taking for a public use?
How do you know the owner of the property isn’t trying to hold the City up for an outrageous price?
The Constitution says that when property is taken for “public use” there must be “just compensation.” What’s wrong with that? I understand the argument when the beneficiary of the taking is as much a private entity as the public; but to make a park?
ED should not be used, period.
That said, the owners should be negotiated with and paid fairly and then the owners of the properties that will benefit from the City park being there on the waterfront should eventually compensate the City pay big-time because those properties will be the ones that benefit the most from this whole thing.
Time and again we see the same pattern:
a city takes properties and/or simply invests tons in taxpayer money, floats bonds, etc. to build up a park or create a civic waterfront and then it is ALWAYS developers who benefit the most by taking advantage of the bordering properties to the new civic improvement.
Polemicist–I’m not weeping for the rich either but what about when the poor shleps are the ones having their propoety taken away?
I am impressed and delighted that the city is even building a public park! I thought those days were gone — that the city had decreed that the only way to get “open space” at this point was through private means. Thus, the much-touted “open space” (in fact privately held) courtyards that are part of AY.
I think your post is really off-base. “Reamed”? “screw”? I don’t get the vituperation here.
City should have done this 15 years ago, Oh I guess there was other things to do LIKE HARASS THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM.
I’m sure anyone who looks into this a bit will realize that both Central Park and Prospect Park will built utilizing land seized via eminent domain. Contrary to popular belief, the formerly rural sections of this now sprawling metropolis were not necessarily populated by a landed gentry supportive of the expansion of the city. I’m sure quite a few of those folks were as vocal in their discontent as modern NIMBYs are today.
This country has never have had unrestricted private property rights, and this city was built with the use of eminent domain.
I want these same defenders of property rights to explain to me why eminent domain is bad, but zoning restrictions are good. I’d also like to know why the rich who own land should have total rights over their land, but poor schleps have to slave away for months every year paying taxes.
Personally, I feel it’s much worse when middle class people who can barely get by in this city have to pay 40% of their income in taxes while the rich who own land get to scream and moan about losing their property (and being fairly compensated) for the greater good. The middle class get nothing for their taxes besides an endless war and a huge, ever increasing underclass dependent upon the state. At least the rich land owners receive cash for their troubles.
So now Brownstoner you are advocating for the abandonment of ALL Eminent Domain use?
You truly have lost it. How do you expect subways, roads, schools, parks etc.. to be built if you cant use ED. And here it is mosty fallow unused land for god sakes.
You seriously had better go back to school and learn something about the constitution, real property law and civics, you are revealing your ignorance more and more.
Eminent domain is a joke. What about private property rights? I’m with ‘Stoner on this one.
As much as we love this blog, this has to be one of your more idiotic posts. As stated above, eminent domain is not being used to underpay. It is the tool that is used to for these transactions. The stakes are high, and the courts provide the forum. If this isn’t a proper use of eminent domain, nothing is. Are we supposed to feel sorry for that fat ass at Trans Gas?