Tennessee Voices: Eminent domain no excuse for property owner abuse
“Most Tennesseans are unaware that the government can force them to sell their property — their home, their farm, their business — just because someone else has a better idea of what to do with it. Through the power of “eminent domain,” government can take your property and hand it over to private developers and give you far less than you think your property is worth, and you have very little recourse to stop them.
Traditionally, eminent domain was used to take property for true public uses such as roads, schools and utilities, with the property owner receiving a just compensation in exchange. Over the past few decades, however, politicians and savvy developers have figured out how to force property owners to sell their property through the use of eminent domain, often providing a fraction of the land’s value in return.”
Owen, Justin. The Tennessean 21 October 2013.