Is This Your Land in St.Paul?

The Pioneer Press reports:

It's been used to board up seedy porn theaters, but little old ladies feel threatened by it. It has helped clean up toxic dumps, but men of the cloth fear its wrath.

As a redevelopment tool, eminent domain is a powerful instrument. In St. Paul, it has helped build an awardwinning school, redevelop polluted property and clear the way for new roads, rec centers and housing developments.

It also has razed poor neighborhoods, prompted litigation against a multinational corporation and pushed a tattoo artist to express his disgust with the tactic in large letters spray-painted across the front of his business.

Eminent domain is one of the hottest topics at the state Capitol, and the city of St. Paul is worried about possible restrictions on the way many government units use condemnation, which critics say often has been heavy-handed and overreaching.

But in St. Paul, the use of eminent domain in recent years does not fit any one pattern — rather, the truth literally is all over the map. A Pioneer Press review shows that St. Paul has condemned land dozens of times in recent years, and officials say it has been helpful in forcing homeowners to clear out for better, bigger projects without going to court.

More on the Kelo backlash.