Technology

Something worse happened in my city. The city hall expropriated some land from the owner with the justification it was needed for a public interest project. The project wasn't very detailed and pretty much half-assed like it wasn't serious. The owner was pissed since the land was sure to raise its price by a lot in a few years. The city was experiencing a major boom and the land was right where the city center was expanding to. But he loses the land and receives a "fair market price".

Right after the land is expropriated the city hall cancels the project and, since it was no longer needed and the land is considered useless sells it very cheaply to a known real estate entrepreneur with ties to the (very corrupt) Mayor. In a couple of years construction has started in the area (by other friends of the mayor) and the value of the land explodes. The entrepeneur sells it back for a fortune to the city hall. The city hall justifies the huge payment due to the need for a mall there. That mall never turned a profit and was bankrupt in a few years.

The original owner sued city hall and the old mayor. The case is tied in courts for decades now. It's ridiculous. My city is the capital of corruption in a corrupt country.

I know the saying is "don't mess with Texas" but Texas seems to fuck itself over all the time. I would be raising hell about this if it was my backyard.

People should know that donating land like this is not at all guaranteed to keep the land from being developed. Promises to keep parks in existence is nothing when the city "needs" a new development, hospital, data center, whatever.

And this is why you need a lawyer when you're doing this kind of thing.

If this farmer was smart, there would be a clause in the contract that the land may only be used for a park or other public space. And that if the city decides to resell the land, the farmer or their descendants will have the right to reclaim it.

Thus, farmer could either stop the data center or at least get a solid payday.

One of the more fucked up aspects of eminent domain. City/county/state governments can nuke deeds by using eminent domain. It allows them to turn a plot of land, regardless prior restrictions, into things like dumps.

The fucked up part about it is they can also turn public lands into private lands with that same trick.

What's frustrating is we still need eminent domain for good. It's basically the only way to build railways and roads. It even ends up being one of the few ways to deploy things like district heating/cooling and new fiber lines.

She’s gonna get a share of the lease revenue on that, right?

…right?

I was curious where the land was, and if I could help in any way.

It's in Texas. I made a promise to myself that I'd never go back to Texas.

Texas. Fucking. Suuuuuucks.

if you just give it away, assume it will be used for the worst thing you can imagine. You give it away with strict agreement that it will be used only for things you have intended.