Freddy’s Bar, voted one of the city’s best bars by Village Voice, Esquire, and The New York Times, is in the way of Bruce Ratner’s wrecking ball.
The loyal patrons and employees of Freddy’s will not go down without a fight. Check out this latest video by Reason TV to see why!
NorthSide on Trial
NorthSide on Trial
By Jason A. Orr
The trial has begun for the lawsuit filed by Cheryl Nelson
and other property owners who are threatened by the “pie in the sky” NorthSide
mega-development in St.
Louis, Missouri. The 1,500-acre, $8.1 billion development
project casts whole neighborhoods under a “blight” designation, which allows for
eminent domain to be used to seize their perfectly fine homes and
businesses.
Nelson says that this blight designation has decreased the
property value of her home by 30% since developer Paul McKee announced his
grandiose plan to build a shiny new neighborhood overtop the one that was
already there.[1]
Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that the NorthSide
project area was just fine before the developer showed up – even the report
financed by McKee that found the neighborhood to be “blighted” admits that 75%
of the structures in the area were in “fair” or “excellent” condition.[2]
The plaintiffs accuse the city of wrongly declaring their
neighborhoods as “blighted” in order to enable $390 million in tax breaks that
officials want to hand over to Paul McKee.
Aldermen Kacie Starr Triplet said that declaring a neighborhood blighted
is just a “procedural” step the city takes before granting a development project
such tax abatement.[3]
She added that eminent domain would not be used for the
project… even though the city reserves the power to use it at any time.[4]
Residents are urged to simply take her
word for it. Victims of eminent domain
abuse nationwide know not to believe these empty promises.
City aldermen, in the meantime, are looking for a quick-fix
for the economic trouble that has affected neighborhoods in the NorthSide area
in recent years. The development already
occurring without public subsidies or the threat of eminent domain is just too
slow for city officials who want to wave a magic wand and see prosperity and the
increased tax revenues that come with it.
“This was an opportunity to have a major development,” said Alderwoman
Triplet, complaining that “incremental development” was not on the same scale as
McKee’s large but financially uncertain project.[5]
Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. does not even care that the
project is unlikely to work. “It
certainly might be a pipe dream," he said. "Until it actually occurs, you never
know. Let's try it. Nobody's going to get hurt.”[6]
Nobody gets hurt, except for Cheryl Nelson and hundreds of
other homeowners who may be booted out of their communities, so that a hot-shot
developer can bulldoze their neighborhoods to build more profitable and more
expensive houses.
Whom do these Aldermen represent?
[1]
Tim Bryant, “Bosley says give McKee a chance He says NorthSide is worth
pursuing,” St. Louis Post-DispatchMissouri),
Feb. 26, 2010 at B1.
[2]
Brian Flinchpaugh, “Testimony continues in NorthSide redevelopment court case,”
St. Louis Globe-DemocratMissouri), Feb. 25,
2010.
[3]
Tim Bryant, “Bosley says give McKee a chance He says NorthSide is worth
pursuing,” St. Louis Post-DispatchMissouri),
Feb. 26, 2010 at B1.
[5]
Brian Flinchpaugh, “Testimony continues in NorthSide redevelopment court case,”
St. Louis Globe-DemocratMissouri), Feb. 25,
2010.
[6]
Tim Bryant, “Bosley says give McKee a chance He says NorthSide is worth
pursuing,” St. Louis Post-DispatchMissouri),
Feb. 26, 2010 at B1.
San Pablo Seeks to Reauthorize “Important Tool” of Eminent Domain
The San Pablo Redevelopment Agency in California has just announced their intentions to reauthorize their power of eminent domain for another twelve years. They argue that property owners should not be concerned because the city has no intention of using eminent domain—it is only an “important tool” to be used as a “last resort.” But if they have no intention of using this “important tool,” then why do they want it?
San Pablo also says that homeowners are protected by Proposition 99. That is misleading. Proposition 99 only protects homeowners who have lived in their homes for more than one year and whose homes have not been declared “blighted.” As the term “blight” in California is very broad, homes can be labeled “blighted” simply because officials want to replace the existing homes with something more glamorous.
San Pablo residents are absolutely right to be concerned about the city’s proposal. A majority of homes and businesses in San Pablo could be on the chopping block if the city gets their way.
Take a tour of the North Side community with the Show Me Institute’s Dave Roland and see how developer Paul McKee’s blight study misrepresented this thriving area in St. Louis, Missouri.
New York City gave Bruce Ratner $100 million of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund his Atlantic Yards project. In return, those taxpayers are losing their homes and businesses to eminent domain.
As if all of that is not enough, New York City has now handed over another $31 million to Bruce Ratner to help him acquire even more property.
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