Judge Rules in District’s Favor on Final Skyland Eminent Domain Case
“Mary Rose Greene owned 8.5 acres of property located a block from Skyland. In 2005, the city offered her $943,000 for seven acres of that property as part of its Skyland development. Greene wanted more, so she hired an architect to draw up her own development plans for the property to demonstrate its worth. (She acknowledged in her deposition that those plans were “only for the purposes of this litigation.”)
Before the architect completed the plans, the city sued to seize the property. The city and Greene each hired an appraiser to evaluate the property. The city appraiser found it to be worth $1.85 million, while Green’s appraiser put the value much higher, at $9.56 million. At the May 2011 trial, the jury sided with the city, so Greene appealed. The D.C. Court of Appeals issued its ruling in favor of the city on Thursday.”
Wiener, Aaron. Housing Complex 10 December 2012.