Bloomberg Speaks Out for Eminent Domain
Mayor Bloomberg came out strongly in support of maintaining the right of cities to seize private property by eminent domain: “You would never build any big thing any place in any big city in this country if you didn’t have the power of eminent domain,” Mr. Bloomberg said, speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Times…
Mayor Bloomberg came out strongly in support of maintaining the right of cities to seize private property by eminent domain:
“You would never build any big thing any place in any big city in this country if you didn’t have the power of eminent domain,” Mr. Bloomberg said, speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Times Square, which was redeveloped in part through government condemnation of private property. “You wouldn’t have a job, neither would anybody else standing here today. None of us would.”
“There are some in Albany and Washington,” Mr. Bloomberg said, who do not “appreciate the crucial importance of eminent domain to our ability to shape our own future. They mistakenly equate it with an abuse of government power, and ignore the benefits that come to us all from responsible development of formerly blighted areas.”
You can see why a Mayor wouldn’t want to give up the power to use eminent domain and there are certainly extreme cases–an entire blighted block with only a single house left on it, for example– where we think the best interests of the community are served by eminent domain, but those instances are so few and far between and the potential for abuse–like tearing down perfectly decent buildings in well-functioning neighborhoods to make way for an arena and condos–so great that we just can’t get comfortable with the concept.
Bloomberg Says Eminent Domain Is Vital [NY Times]
“Well it looks like we’re going down that same route again so I think I’m finished with this thread.”
In other words, facts are getting in the way of your case. Agree with him or not, David supports his arguments with numbers – if you have something concrete to disprove him, please post it. No one’s berating you for your views, just asking that you provide some evidence for your statements.
IMO, displacing a handful of busineses, owners, and renters (about a total of 80 for all three groups) is a fair trade for 900 units of affordable housing.
Bx2Bklyn – I knew your agreement (@11:03) couldnt last, but sorry, pointing out the # and type of biz being displaced is not “belligerent” by any definition and in fact such data (from DEIS) is essential to make the ‘distinctions’ regarding the appropriate use of ED that you mention in the same (11:03) post.
Can we please not get belligerent here over every statement? Brownstones will be razed- I’m not claiming they’re landmark buildings. And if it was your business, and it may be hard if not impossible to start over somewheres else, you wouldn’t be so blase. I did read somewheres it was more than 18, but I can’t remember the exact number or where I read it. I’m sure I’ll be taken to task over that too now.
Well it looks like we’re going down that same route again so I think I’m finished with this thread.
Mr. B- was simply letting David know that there was one and it was using other’s names. You could have emailed me that instead of doing it publically.
By the end of 2009, all 53 of Chicago’s public housing high-rises will be gone.
Housing projects are a failure. They trap families into a cycle of poverty that lasts for generations. NYC should us ED to demolish every single last one of them!!
Read the article.
“A lot of businesses being displaced”??? There are 18 commercial buisnesses on the site; of that 11 are either gas stations/auto repair(4); Truck rentals(2) or stroage facilites(5).
And what block slated for demo can honestly be called a “Brownstone Block”
The only “brownstone block” (singular) that will be lost via AY is Dean, between Flatbush and 6th, and even a small part of that is commercial. The rest of the footprint is comprised of warehouses (either residential or commercial) and railyards. As David has pointed out, there are very few owners and tenants left at this point and the alleged victims of any ED threat were paid handsomely.
11:03, if you will stop complaining about the troll, stop talking about the troll, stop engaging the troll and generally stop doing everything that he hopes you will do, he will probably go away.
ED changed the face of Times Square which we probably all agree was a very good thing for the city. On the flip side, it also help create housing projects which are the worst form of low income housing imagineable. At least in Chicago they had the common sense to use ED to tear down Cabrini-Green in 2003.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/11/60II/main532704.shtml
NYC should do the same.