ADDENDUM: sorry for earlier formatting problems.

Courtesy of my google news feed.

1. Virginia has passed new eminent domain legislation that on first glance seems to have real teeth:

The new law, among other things, requires that the process known as eminent domain be used only to take properties for public uses, not for resale to developers. And it specifies that the property itself must be blighted and not merely in a blighted area, as was previously allowed.

The legislation also raises the bar on what is considered blight, from "dilapidated or deteriorated" to "beyond repair" or "unfit for human occupancy or use."

Norfolk has long used these powers to either conserve areas - which makes them candidates for programs such as renovation grants - or perform wholesale redevelopment, in which entire blocks are razed and rebuilt from the ground up.

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority has two redevelopment areas and 11 conservation areas for which it may need to acquire more land.

"This new legislation affects all of that," said the agency's Jim Gehman, adding that it "eliminates the idea of redevelopment areas. We have to focus on individual houses. It changes the definition of blight and makes it much harder to get a property declared blighted."

2. In NJ, the NFIB assures that eminent domain is not a dead issue in that state.

3. In Brooklyn, NY, more futile resistance to the mammoth Atlantic Yards project.

4. New Mexico has passed (I think on April 6) what looks to be a weak law. Bill text here. Last year Gov. Richardson vetoed a much stronger bill. A rough guide to how weak the enacted bill is to last year's vetoed bill: this year's is 28 pages compared to last year's 1/2 page. Lots of exemptions and enumerated powers are to blame.

Have a great day!