Bureaucracy Squashes Widow’s Hope To Recover Land Taken By Eminent Domain
“Two months ago an 89-year-old Andover widow, Carolyn Sheehan, said in this column that she hoped someone in government would let her buy back 11.3 acres that the state Department of Transportation took by eminent…
Hickenlooper vetoes urban renewal authority bill
“A bill that would have given Colorado counties more say in how cities redirect tax dollars to redevelopment projects died on the governor’s desk Friday afternoon. #City and county officials here now expect the long…
Jersey City to auction off property seized via eminent domain
“The Jersey City City Council last Wednesday approved a move that will allow the city to sell a building it owns on East Linden Avenue at a public auction next month. The council voted 7-1…
Oregon landowners seek pipeline protections
“A property rights group wants Oregon lawmakers to strengthen protections for farmers who face natural gas pipelines crossing their land. Landowners currently are in a weak position during negotiations with pipeline developers who hold the…
Colorado groups lobby Hickenlooper to veto urban-renewal bill
“Commercial real estate developers and municipal leaders are putting a full-court press on Gov. John Hickenlooper, pressuring him to veto a bill that would put new limitations on the creation of urban-renewal districts. The effort…
Vail Daily column: Urban renewal law works
“Dear Gov. Hickenlooper: Please veto HB 1375, a piece of legislation that threatens the success of the current Urban Renewal Authority law in boosting Colorado’s economy and tourism. As the town of Vail’s finance director…
Redevelopment Resurrection?
“Sometimes the right things happen for the wrong reason, such as when California governor Jerry Brown signed budget legislation in 2011 to shut down the state’s ham-fisted redevelopment agencies. Brown’s opposition to redevelopment had nothing…
A resurgence of eminent domain abuse
“The Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London, which allowed state and local governments to take private property and transfer it to other private owners to promote “economic development” generated a…
Pending law targeting urban renewal taxes could stall future projects
“Aurora officials say there’s economic danger in a new legislative weapon touted by counties, the latest salvo in the ongoing battle over tax dollars and how cities like Aurora finance redevelopment projects. “Nobody knows how…
Aurora to consider tax increment financing for Arts District shops
“Aurora will hold two public hearings in June to discuss implementing a small tax increment finance area in one square block of the Fletcher Plaza urban renewal area in the Aurora Cultural Arts District. The…