Eminent Domain and Providence

[runawayjim]

http://www.projo.com/business/content/proj...x.1289de58.html

that's a step in the right direction.

[Recchia]

Interesting article regarding eminent domain and the Pawtucket Redevelopment Authority: Pawtucket Times

I had never really heard of eminent domain being used by a city to get rid of slum houses.

"This is the only mechanism that we have other than to let them stay as they are, because we can

[KRC]

I had never really heard of eminent domain being used by a city to get rid of slum houses.

Not sure what I think about this yet...

A few good examples include: Government Center in Boston, Radio Row in NYC, Cabrini (sp?) Greens in Chicago, the entire city of Hartford, our own famous Cathedral Squre in Providence, etc., etc., etc.

It's been done a million times with the exact same disasterous results.

[Frankie811]

the entire city of Hartford

[runturtlerun]

Providence's proposed TIF includes the taking of property via eminent domain, including both commercial and residential properties.

[Cotuit]

The city of Pawtucket should certainly not be condemning the homes of people like Ms. Ramirez, regardless of the current condition of her property. Just the opposite, the city should have programs in place to help people like Ms. Ramirez secure funding and find reputable contractors. Ms. Ramirez is exactly the kind of person Pawtucket needs to encourage to take ownership of properties, not attending city council meetings to save her investment.

Detroit would be another city to add to the list of cities that remove blight through ED.

Providence's proposed TIF includes the taking of property via eminent domain, including both commercial and residential properties.

Not all eminent domain takings need to end in demolition such as we saw in Boston's West End or Government Center, Providence's Cathedral Square, or NYC's World Trade Center. I would hope that ED through Providence's TIF would be used sparingly to accumulate vacant lots for redevelopment or to force recalcitrant owners to renovate historic structures. Not for the demolition of existing structures.

[eltron]

The city of Pawtucket should certainly not be condemning the homes of people like Ms. Ramirez, regardless of the current condition of her property. Just the opposite, the city should have programs in place to help people like Ms. Ramirez secure funding and find reputable contractors. Ms. Ramirez is exactly the kind of person Pawtucket needs to encourage to take ownership of properties, not attending city council meetings to save her investment.

I think you are misreading this a little bit. Ms. Ramirez does not live here, thus it is not her home. In fact, it is quite possible that she was a shill buyer for someone behind the scenes, since the guy she bought it from only owned if for 3 hours! It also said she bought 3 properties at the same time. This happens all over the place with these types of properties and potential slumlords, and it continually keeps these properties and the neighborhoods in bad shape. I've been dealing with a couple in particular in almost the exact same situations.

I for one am not buying her sob story at all, particularly when you look at the few facts that are actually reported in the story.

And its true that eminent domain has been used for disastrous urban renewal in the past, but it has been used in thousands of more recent cases as neighborhood BUILDERS, not destroyers.

Now, the TIF is a whole other topic...

[Recchia]

I'm wondering, if she works for $8.69 an hour, how in the hell did she expect to afford to own those properties?

[Frankie811]

http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20...e.2224d6d9.html

[Frankie811]

What started as a dispute between Dow Chemical and Fidelity Investments led to a split between Joseph Mollo Jr. and his wife of 37 years.

The Mollos

[Frankie811]

From PBN

http://www.pbn.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/121218

[Frankie811]

Eminently Reasonable

http://www.projo.com/opinion/editorials/co...in.1b26d9f.html