Professional sports are a large part of the pride and culture in a lot of cities across the United States. In order to have a successful sports franchise, a city must have a place for the team to play that is inviting and accommodating for large crowds of spectators. These stadiums must house the large playing area, tens of thousands of seats, boxes, food stands, gift shops, restaurants, and much more. For this reason, a city will need a large area to build a state-of-the-art stadium.
Because the ideal location for a sports stadium is as close to the downtown area as possible, it is often necessary to clear existing businesses, homes, and other buildings to create a large enough lot for the stadium. If landowners refuse to sell their property, many cities use their powers of eminent domain under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution1 to take the land. The following are some examples of cities that have used eminent domain for this purpose:
• Sacramento, CA
• San Diego, CA
• Arlington, TX
• Washington, DC
• Los Angeles, CA
• Brooklyn, NY
Cities all over the country have turned to eminent domain for stadium purposes. Right across the river from Illinois, the city of St. Louis is considering using eminent domain if plans for a new football stadium are approved. Fortunately, the mayor of Boston recently announced2 that he did not plan to use eminent domain if the city wins the Olympic bid for the 2024 games.
Discuss your rights with an experienced Illinois eminent domain attorney today
While the city may be willing to do anything to successfully complete a sports stadium project and earn additional revenue, your rights as a private property owner are important and should be upheld. Too often, attorneys for the government will take advantage of a landowner’s lack of familiarity with eminent domain laws and what is allowed and not allowed. If you have a qualified condemnation lawyer on your side, you have a much better chance of avoiding wrongful condemnation or receiving the full amount of just compensation for your land. Please call the law office of Sever Storey, LLP at 888-318-3761 for help.
1https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fifth_amendment
2https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/01/31/boston-will-not-use-eminent-domain-to-build-an-olympic-stadium/
