Sign the Petition to Stop West Haven Eminent Domain Abuse!
Just 50 miles west of the birthplace of the infamous Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London, eminent domain abuse is preparing to strike again.
Last summer, the city of West Haven, Conn., approved a plan by developer duo Sheldon Gordon and Ty Miller to turn a 24-acre swath of land into a multimillion dollar waterfront mall. Currently, the city is working on developing the first half of the project—The Haven South—for 2016. The Haven North is slated for construction shortly thereafter.
Of the 50 properties the developers are acquiring for the mall, 38 are privately-owned and occupied. Many are residents and local businessmen that have lived and worked in West Haven for decades. And even though many of these property owners have no interest in selling their property, the city has repeatedly said that eminent domain will be used to take their land if “negotiations” with the developers fall through.
Eminent domain is supposed to be used for public uses, things like roads, schools, and hospitals. Taking the land of property owners to enrich a couple of politically-connected developers is not a public use. It’s eminent domain abuse, and it is unacceptable.
Thankfully, Develop Don’t Destroy West Haven, a grassroots group of property owners in the target zone has teamed up with the Institute for Justice’s activism team to fight back against this egregious abuse of eminent domain. And you can too.
TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition to take a stand against eminent domain abuse.
Click here to learn about the West Haven residents threatened by eminent domain.