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Article: In Baltimore, condemnation drives urban renewal
- Article from:
- The Daily Record (Baltimore)
- Article date:
- December 5, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Daily Record (Baltimore). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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For many people, the words "condemned building" bring to mind a
creaky, dilapidated house with boarded-up windows and caution signs
posted: somewhere you don't dare go without a hard hat.
But in Baltimore, the use of condemnation powers -- otherwise
known as eminent domain -- has become synonymous with urban renewal.
The government's right to condemn and seize private property,
sometimes perfectly intact and well-maintained, and convey it to
another private owner is the engine driving many of the city's most
important development efforts.
Despite several recent court cases and laws that check the powers
of municipalities to take property, condemnations are accelerating
in the city. More ...