If Patterson stays opposed Use of Eminent Domain this could change the whole plan for the Peace Bridge plaza. They want to knock down all those nice houses in a decent area and this could end that debate.. This is a good thing in my opinion.

Paterson Could Derail Development
Opposes Use of Eminent Domain

If David Paterson as governor displays the opposition to eminent domain that he showed as a state senator, several high-profile development projects in New York City could be derailed or delayed, including a Columbia University expansion, the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, and the transformation of Willets Point in Queens.

As a state Senate leader, Mr. Paterson in 2005 held a rally with Council Member Letitia James and state Senator William Perkins on the steps of City Hall during which he called for a statewide moratorium on the use of eminent domain.

Mr. Paterson said a decision handed down by the Supreme Court in the Kelo v. City of New London case could lead to a “gold rush” of eminent domain use across the state, The New York Sun reported at the time. He said he would gather legislators and introduce legislation to impose a moratorium on its use.

“He stood with me and proposed some legislation and I am very hopeful that the lieutenant governor and soon-to-be governor will honor his commitment and will either issue a moratorium or review the abuse of eminent domain across New York City,” Ms. James said yesterday in an interview.

Ms. James’s district is in Brooklyn, and she opposes developer Bruce Ratner’s $4 billion Atlantic Yards project near downtown Brooklyn, which would require use of eminent domain.

Mr. Paterson’s opposition to eminent domain could also pit him against Mayor Bloomberg, who has defended its use. “You would never build any big thing any place in any big city in this country if you didn’t have the power of eminent domain,” Mr. Bloomberg once said.

A moratorium on eminent domain “would be shocking,” a developer, who declined to speak for attribution before any official action was taken by Mr. Paterson, said. “It would be really out of left field and send a very scary message.”

At the time of the rally, Mr. Paterson was a state senator whose Harlem constituents were concerned about the expansion of Columbia University.

The Supreme Court had just ruled that the use of eminent domain for economic development did not violate state and federal constitutions.

Mr. Perkins, who assumed Mr. Paterson’s seat when the latter became lieutenant governor and considers Mr. Paterson a friend, said he hadn’t had a chance to discuss the issue with Mr. Paterson but was “very confident that we are going to work well together.”

A spokesman for Mr. Paterson was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said he was not very concerned about the issue, and that other pressing needs such as resolving the state budget would dominate the agenda for now.

“It would clearly be a mistake for the state to give up one of its powers to get public improvement projects off the ground,” said Mr. Spinola.
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