Are Cities Abusing The Power Of Eminent Domain?

"It's a quaint old document, but occasionally we still refer to it. The U.S. Constitution says, for example, that private property cannot "be taken for public use without just compensation." Maybe the Founders believed that "public use" included casinos, auto plants, shopping malls and health clubs, but if so they left no record of it. Maybe they believed a city should be able to condemn a restaurant so that a private developer could build high-priced housing near an art museum, but it's not very likely."