Star Tribune Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:51:22 GMT
Rosemount makes deal with landowner, but is it fair?
A long-awaited redevelopment can now proceed. Critics say the city left the landowner little choice. It was also important, he said, that the city win the support of the community for what it was doing -- which is why officials much preferred to agree on a sale with Hansen rather than force it on him. The first hearing in an eminent domain court action on the property had been scheduled for Thursday. In a statement, Port Authority Chairman Mike Baxter, who also sits on the City Council, said that the issue between the city and Hansen was always about the price, not politics. Droste noted that months ago, Hansen had said he was a willing seller. But Debra Kaczmarek, a member of Save Rosemount, an ad hoc group opposing eminent domain, said that Rosemount officials forced Hansen's hand. "For them to say that eminent domain was not used is, frankly, more absurd than the use of it," she said. "The city used its power to undercut private property rights, and we intend to exact a political price."
[[keywords: LandUse;Legal;Metro;]]
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