NJ TOWN TURNS TO EMINENT DOMAIN TO CLEAN UP BLIGHT OF FORECLOSED HOUSES
“Irvington has become the second municipality in the country — after Richmond, CA — that is attempting to convert eminent domain into a tool to help homeowners deal with neighborhoods blighted by foreclosed houses. But local officials acknowledge that they need partners in order to make the idea work.
In a state where foreclosures are again soaring, the results have been especially damaging to Irvington, a blue-collar community of 53,000 neighboring Newark, according to Mayor Wayne Smith.
Since 2008, lenders have foreclosed on at least 1,775 homes in the township, driving out residents and leaving even well-kept neighborhoods dotted with boarded-up buildings, he said. Many other homeowners are “underwater,” paying more on high-interest mortgages than their properties are worth, according to Smith.”
Tyrrell, Joe. NJ Spotlight 20 November 2013.