House Votes to Protect Private Property Rights, Halting EPA and Army Corps’ Land Grab
“Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5078 Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 in an attempt to halt the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’…
Road projects could put eminent domain law to test
“The driving force behind a 2012 state constitutional amendment that strengthened property rights says construction along U.S. 29 may provide a proving ground for how the state compensates land owners in eminent domain cases. “This…
Pa. court rules against road to landlocked parcel
“A state appeals court is ruling against a landowner who wanted to access his landlocked property by putting a road through a neighbor’s land, the latest decision in a long-running dispute about how Pennsylvania’s Private…
Martins Beach access bill headed to governor
“Legislation that could mean greater public access to Martins Beach in San Mateo County cleared its final legislative hurdle on Thursday and now awaits Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. The state Senate approved Senate Bill 968…
Legislators are wary of pipeline plan
“Since state Rep. Sheila Harrington first learned about a proposed natural-gas pipeline across Massachusetts earlier this year, she’s received dozens of calls from constituents. Some are concerned about the environmental impacts to conservation lands that…
Motions in Limine May be Used in Eminent Domain Proceedings to Determine Party’s Interest in Property
“”Motions in limine” are motions made shortly before trial, and they’re typically filed in an attempt to limit the introduction of evidence to the jury. They are a powerful tool in eminent domain proceedings, and…
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…
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…
Regulatory Takings Revisited
“When the condemning authority exercises its power of eminent domain it is commonly referred to as a “taking”. A “taking” is any sort of publicly inflicted private injury for which the Constitution requires payment of…
Proposal to change Colorado urban-renewal process clears first hurdle
“House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland, said he has no intentions of ending or even slowing the increasingly common projects in which cities offer tax-increment financing to get retail or mixed-use developments into certain areas….