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Originally Posted by aceventura3
According to this article in IBD, in the year after Kelo many 25 states have passed law curbing eminent domain abuse. However, there is an important case being heard in Ohio.
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The Norwood case is particularly troubling. The city realized that they would have a problem jusifying taking the properties to give to a private developer so they declared the properties deteriorating in order to comply with state law. Most people who live there and know the area also know the properties were not deteriorating and most homeowners there kept their houses and land in good shape.
Norwood has money problems and simply wanted to increase it's tax base. The area now is surely blighted since they tore down almost all the houses and only a few remain. Most of the homeowners, not wanting an uncertain future, sold out figuring that "you cannot fight city hall". I hope the court sends a message to cities that they cannot simply call a good neighborhood deteriorating in order to give it to private developers at their price.