2 homeowners settle with Connecticut city in eminent domain fight

WFSB reports:

Two of the six remaining plaintiffs in an eminent domain dispute that reached the nation's highest court reached financial settlements with New London on Wednesday and will leave their homes.

The settlements, for undisclosed amounts, came just hours before a deadline set by the city council to resolve the property dispute. New London plans to allow private developers to build a hotel, office space and upscale housing on a 94-acre site that city officials say is vital to re-energizing the southeastern Connecticut city.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the city had the right to take the homes to make way for private development. The decision set off a national debate over the proper use of eminent domain powers.

The agreements Wednesday involve the Dery family, which has lived in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood for five generations; and Thelma Brelesky, whose son has lived in the neighborhood for almost three decades.

The settlements will be paid in addition to money held in escrow in New London Superior Court to compensate the former owners for the value of their properties since 1997, when the city council voted to seize the land.

Most homes in the area have already been seized and razed.

The city council voted last month to enforce a May 31 deadline for homeowners by withdrawing settlement incentives after that date, including the city's offer to waive use and occupancy fees it calculates at approximately $1 million for all six plaintiffs.

Among the property owners still holding out is Susette Kelo, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. She said Wednesday night she just wants to keep her home.

"I would like to think the city council could show some human kindness and just give us back our deeds," she said.

Via Hit and Run