Va. Supreme Court invalidates NRHA condemnations for ODU
“The owners of several Norfolk companies will get to keep their land.
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority didn’t have the right to take property for expansion at Old Dominion University.
Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority condemned more than 170 residential, institutional and business buildings in the Hampton Boulevard area near Old Dominion University. The area, a public-private partnership called “The District,” will become a new dormitory for 900 Old Dominion University students, a grocery store, drug store and other businesses.
At issue was whether the NRHA acted within the law. In 2007, the General Assembly banned the use of eminent domain for commercial redevelopment, legal experts advise. In November 2012, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment making it harder for the commonwealth to take private property for commercial use. “
ABC 13 News 12 September 2013.