Navigation

Archive | 2023

January 5, 2023

Bruce’s Beach – The Final Chapter

We wrote about Bruce’s Beach, located in Manhattan Beach, California on August 5, 2021 and October 7, 2021, an old case which has sparked national “condemnation” was the 1924 taking of “Bruce’s Beach.”  The resort was established by Willa and Charles Bruce in 1912.  It was a destination where black tourists could swim, dance, eat and rest. The City claimed that it needed the property for a public park, but left it undeveloped.  The condemnation was clearly motivated by racism. Manhattan Beach has been grappling with the history of Bruce’s… read more

By
Posted in Bruce's Beach, Eminent Domain
Read more > 0

January 3, 2023

Blight, The Necessary Requirement for Condemnation

On December 29, 2022, the New York Times ran a story, “Why New York State insists that the Penn Station Area is ‘“Blighted.”’  The answer, silly, is that it had to. In New York, we just can’t condemn property unless there is a finding of blight.  I suggest that “blight” is in the eyes of the beholder.  I once attended a public hearing held pursuant to Article 2 of the Eminent Domain Procedure Law.  I believe it was for the taking for the expansion of Columbia University.  At the hearing,… read more

By
Posted in Blight, Condemnation, Penn Station
Read more > 0