Eleven states have initiatives on their ballots this fall that could go against 2005's Supreme Court eminent domain decision in the case of Kelo v. New London.
Libertarian real estate investor Howie Rich has sponsored ballot drives in eight states to override the federal government's power to take private property in the name of public economic development.
"Louisiana will vote Saturday during its primary on two ballot measures on eminent domain. Ten other states will vote on the issue Nov. 7."
"Rich's allies in California, Arizona and Idaho combine eminent domain on the ballot with a separate land-use issue at the heart of the property rights movement. It's a proposal to make governments pay property owners for "regulatory takings" - zoning, height limits or other building restrictions that substantially reduce the land's value. Washington state has a ballot measure on regulatory takings."
Read the full story: Voters get a say on land rights
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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One Hundred Miles
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