Our View: Iowa City makes dubious use of eminent domain
“We were glad to see District Judge Paul Miller halt, at least temporarily, Iowa City’s plans to seize land from NCS Pearson and use it to build a new road to connect Interstate 80 to a proposed new office park.
In the four years since developer Steve Moss started discussing his plans for such a park on 172 acres of land west of Highway 1 and north of I-80, we’ve been supportive of what is now being called the Moss Ridge Campus. But by no means do we think the proposed development qualifies as a “public improvement” that would warrant Iowa City’s use of eminent domain.
Iowa City officials seem to think otherwise, though. They argue that, because the condemnation is for public infrastructure, it is within the law. And with so many courts having ruled in favor of such creative and aggressive use of eminent domain, city officials decided to roll the dice and see if they could speed the process along.”
Editor, Press Citizen 24 August 2013.