Text 10D
Eminent Domain Powers
Eminent domain, in which the owner of the condemned property is
provided "just compensation" for its taking is a police power for the
public good.
With that power, government takes private property
through condemnation proceedings. Throughout the proceedings, the
property owner has the right of due process.
Every state has a statute, or statutes, establishing how the eminent
domain power may be exercised at the local level.
State procedures
vary widely, however, in some states, the government is required to
negotiate with the property owner before instituting eminent domain
proceedings.
In other states, the government may institute proceedings
without prior notice. The power of eminent domain is not limited to
states, cities, and political bodies. In many states,
public utilities and
even pipeline companies have the power to expropriate private prop-
erty.
Traditionally, eminent domain has been used to facilitate transpor-
tation and the provision of water and other utilities; however, it has
been
used to establish public parks, preserve places of historic interest,
and promote beautification. Municipalities - often through their eco-
nomic development or redevelopment entities - can also employ emi-
nent domain to "retake" blighted property for urban revitalization.
Eminent domain has been critical to municipalities' revitalization
efforts, but these efforts have also generated some of its most vehe-
ment criticism. Property owners protest the
taking of their land for
many reasons. Some of them complain about insufficient compensa-
tion. Others protest that condemned parcels may not actually be
blighted, or that a taking was not for economic development but sim-
ply a transfer of property rights between
private landholders for the
sole purpose of benefiting the new landholder.
In reviewing recent eminent domain court cases, it is found that it
remains unclear whether the cases reflect new resistance to the process
or simply the need for legal clarification. All sides must keep in mind
that a public purpose must be demonstrated.
It should be noted that the use of eminent
domain in property con-
demnation remains a widely practiced and viable means of land acqui-
sition for a number of public-use purposes.
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