Posted by
Defend America on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 5:40:41 PM
Avoid land grabs while downsizing Detroit
Marc Scribner
If history is any guide, Mayor Dave Bing's recent announcement that
he intends to pursue aggressive central planning to shrink Detroit is
bad news. For a city notorious for eminent domain abuse and corruption,
Detroit residents should be vigilant about Bing's plan.
The
reason that the mayor wants to downsize the city is understandable.
Many people and businesses have departed, leaving huge swaths of the
city where the city provides police, fire and garbage services for very
few residents. By forcing some residents to move, the city can
consolidate neighborhoods, save money as well as put together coherent
tracts of property for sale to potential developers.
But many
of the areas in question are sparsely populated by mostly low-income
residents or dilapidated to the point where the city has a reasonable
case designating the properties as public nuisances. Because of these
two facts, the city should neither forgo the normal bargaining process
nor condemn the dilapidated parcels through eminent domain.
http://detnews.com/article/20100309/OPINION01/3090324/1008/opinion01/Avoid-land-grabs-while-downsizing-Detroit