A 40-year Battle Over Property Rights

Anthony Palazzolo has fought Rhode Island for over 40 years in what has become the quintessential battle over property rights.

1 minute read

November 4, 2002, 4:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"An unabashed New Deal Democrat, Palazzolo is an unlikely champion of the property rights cause, which is generally associated with conservatives and wide-open spaces in the West. He appreciates the government lending a hand to people in need - but not when they give others the runaround, he said... There have been many twists and turns between the time Anthony Palazzolo bought those 18 acres and the Supreme Court ruling, but the basic facts are these: Building proposals for the land were rejected by various agencies before and after the passage of state coastal wetlands regulations in 1971.Finally, Palazzolo demanded Rhode Island pay him $3 million for the property, alleging that the regulations constituted a regulatory taking."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Sunday, November 3, 2002 in The Boston Globe

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