Specter of Eminent Domain Haunts Long Branch Mayoral Race (Part III)
“Initially, it didn’t appear that the courts would provide relief for residents of MTOTSA, the quaint oceanfront community slated for demolition after Long Branch partnered with a private developer as part of an all-encompassing redevelopment plan. The first few attempts at using litigation as a means of combating eminent domain abuse proved dishearteningly futile. In City of Long Branch v. Anzalone, Judge Lawrence M. Lawson upheld the use of eminent domain, determining the city acted within the confines of the law when it declared the properties “blighted.”
Despite these initial setbacks, the anti-eminent domain abuse movement continued to gain traction and publicity. With the apparently unstoppable juggernaut of redevelopment looming over their daily lives, residents found themselves receiving the support of a diverse cross-section of the populace; the strangest of bedfellows and most unlikely of alliances formed on all sides of the political spectrum.”
Mikolay, Dennis. Atlantic Highlands Herald 14 May 2014.