'Eminent Domain Saved My Business'

A St. Paul small business owner credits the local development tool with revitalizing his neighborhood, and pleads to others to resist anti-eminent domain campaigns.

1 minute read

April 5, 2006, 12:00 PM PDT

By David Gest


"An advocacy group based outside of Minnesota is fueling this so-called 'battle' over property rights. That's an important distinction because none of them stood by me when my customers started falling away to avoid a nearby dumpsite that was heavily polluted. None of them put any money into the neighborhoods that surrounded this dump, so the houses and businesses like mine started to deteriorate. None of them worked to employ my out-of-work neighbors."

"If the St. Paul Port Authority had not been able to use eminent domain on one of six parcels that would ultimately comprise the Great Northern Business Center, we would probably not be in business today.

Cities and redevelopment agencies like the Port Authority need at least to have the ability to use eminent domain to clean up heavily polluted sites like the one two blocks from my store and to assemble tracts of polluted and dilapidated property for redevelopment. Why? Because no one else will do it."

Saturday, April 1, 2006 in Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight