North Carolina eminent domain abuse: Washington has its own Kelo case on Second Street
“The law allows government to use its “eminent domain” powers to take private property for a legitimate government purpose. You can’t block a road from coming through you property, for example. But the law requires that in order to “take” a person’s property the government must have a good reason.
In the Kelo case the reason was that New London thought it could produce economic development if the property were used differently. The economic development failed and Ms. Kelo’s property sits vacant today.
A similar thing has happened in Washington, N.C. The City of Washington took a man’s property because they insisted that it be fixed up. When he offered to bulldoze the house they refused because they said the “public purpose” was to preserve historic structures in the Historic District. The proof of the failure is that the lot, like Ms. Kelo’s now sits empty and the taxpayers have been stuck with enormous unnecessary expenses, most of it paid to lawyers. And the legal case may just be beginning.
The old ugly house at 505 W. Second Street in Washington is now gone. History was not preserved.”
Beaufort Observer 18 August 2012.