Sears won’t give up its dead Kmart, so a Denver leader may play hardball
“The former home of a Kmart store in southeastern Denver has been largely vacant for nearly five years, and Councilwoman Kendra Black is getting pretty sick of it. The site at South Monaco Parkway and…
New York City Unleashes Eminent Domain Abuse on Immigrant Dry Cleaners in East Harlem
“Eminent domain abuse has reared its ugly head in East Harlem. As Ginger Adams Otis reports in the New York Daily News, city officials plan to seize a family-owned dry cleaning business and then hand…
Vacant Kmart is an eyesore, but using eminent domain is worse
“On the corner of Monaco Parkway and Evans Avenue in Denver sits an absurdly expansive parking lot serving a former big-box department store building that has been vacant for years and can only now be…
Savannah mayor pledges to battle blight
“To some people “eminent domain” are two very dirty words, but to Savannah city leaders, it’s what they say they need to clean up and improve neighborhoods. “I had classmates that were on this street….
Littleton City Council moves to abolish its urban renewal authority
“Municipalities have been overtly abusing the broad authority given them under Colorado’s urban renewal law for decades. What was originally intended to address the problems stemming from people living in sub-standard housing amidst squalor is…
Canceled blight hearing rouses further suspicion in central Ogden
“Tuesday night’s blight hearing cancellation notice and locked front doors to city hall did little to build trust between city officials and residents who live within the nine-block inner-city area in question. The 84-acre Oak…
Rug shop owners sue Glendale over blight label
“The owners of Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs in Glendale have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Glendale challenging the city’s declaration of blight on their commercial property located at East Virginia Avenue…
Urban renewal backlash gains strength across Colorado
“Urban renewal in Colorado, a decades-old strategy used by dozens of communities to replace or rejuvenate aging or derelict shopping malls and neighborhoods, has been under fire. Earlier this year, Littleton passed a first-of-its-kind ballot…
Property owner not pleased with Eagle’s plan to use eminent domain
“An old lot on the corner of Eagle and State Street has become the center of a turf war. The property, a former gas station, has been an eyesore for the area for more than…
Littleton passes first-of-its-kind Colorado ordinance requiring voter approval on urban renewal
“Littleton voters Tuesday approved ballot measures reforming urban renewal in the city following a special election, making it unique among Colorado cities because it will now require voter permission to use state-sanctioned tools for…