New York County Tries To Destroy a 100-Year-Old Neighborhood

The government shouldn’t be able to force you off your land and bulldoze your home to make way for private development, like a privately owned plant that makes semiconductors. But that is exactly what officials from Onondaga County in New York are threatening against the Burnet Road homeowners.


For generations, Burnet Road has been the center of a tight-knit community and home to dozens of families. Britta and Danny Serog are siblings who grew up in the home their father—a Holocaust survivor—built in 1963. Though they moved away, each still cherishes and regularly visits the property. Paul and Robin Richer are a married couple who both, like Britta and Danny, grew up on Burnet Road in the 1960s and 70s, and they still live there today. They raised their two daughters in another home on Burnet Road, but, when Paul’s dad passed away, they moved into the house he’d built in 1954. In Paul’s words, they “moved back home.” Britta, Danny, Robin, and Paul love Burnet Road and the community there, and none wants to leave.

Unfortunately, Onondaga County wants to push the Serogs, Richers, and other families out. The County’s development agency (OCIDA) plans to use eminent domain to take the Serogs’ and Richers’ homes, bulldoze them, and add the vacant land to 1,200 acres of already-vacant land the County already owns in the hopes of attracting a huge corporation to build a microchip plant there.

Eminent domain has traditionally been understood as the power of government to take private property for a public use, like a courthouse or public school. But New York permits bureaucracies, like OCIDA, to use eminent domain to take property for purely private development, like expanding a vacant “commerce” park. New York courts encourages this abusive practice notwithstanding a nationwide backlash against takings for purely private development. And New York’s bureaucrats have no hesitation about using eminent domain to take private property for speculative private development or bullying New Yorkers off their property by threatening to use eminent domain.

The Institute for Justice is helping Britta, Danny, Paul and Robin to defend homes that are rightfully theirs. Your home is supposed to be your castle. But in New York, your home is your castle only until a government bureaucrat thinks of putting something there that might pay more taxes. That is not only wrong, it is unconstitutional.

[registeredrepublican]

I want my neighbors property because I have a dream of renting it and making a lot of money off it!

Seriously though, IJ is unbelievably standing up for everyone everywhere. So impressive!

[mojopare]

Eminent domain was not intended to confiscate private property for commercial gain. Thank you IFJ for adressing this growing political abuse of eminent domain.

[thesuperdingos]

They stole land, took money, and left

[straykat]

The same thing happened here in Sugar Creek, MO. They bulldozed down 3 percent of the city's homes for a shopping center and then the project fell through. Now there is a Taco Bell sitting there. It's insane...

[jimda]

The problem that I have with this is everybody involved in destroying these neighborhoods earns a profit accept the homeowners, they get fair market value, no profit!. So why does everybody get to make a profit except the people that have the most valuable thing in the first place?.

[Recovering_Californian]

Is property really ours anyway? I mean, with property taxes you effectively pay rent, annually, to the government. If you don't pay you'll be kicked out.

[samash]

My neighbor's home was taken by the school district using eminent domain a year ago. They haven't done a thing with it except let it fall into disrepair and become a neighborhood eye sore. I'm sure it's lowered the value of my house as well, but I have no recourse.

[SwannOG]

I hope the homeowners on Burnett Road succeed in their efforts. I have seen such eminent domain seizures and they almost always turn into boondoggles that bring nothing to the community like they were supposed to do.

[MustPassTruck]

Government stealing property to help a corporation is called FASCISM.

[ralphpeterson]

Hope institute for Justice gets rid of eminent "domain "

[Ironic_Jihad]

Don't ever, EVER, give up the fight.

[illmerica]

Let's knock down the legislators homes, have them sell their homes! Crazy! It's a beautiful neighborhood!!!

[r.guerreiro]

Our solidarity to all families threatened by the grid of tyranny

[jeffcampbell]

I've heard of that case in New York I think. There was a lady that fought hard if it's the same.
That same thing happened in my mom's, my ex, hometown. A commissioner decided to buy up a huge farm, hundreds, if not more than a thousand, acres. She spent millions clearing house, barns, sheds and building a road, to make an Industrial Park. She also bought very expensive land in a cove area, and opened a city owned restaurant, and planned on making a lil town of shops, like a Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It too failed. Now, the taxes in the county, from land to sales tax, is Huge, for empty land.
That commissioner couldn't believe she was voted out, after all she did for the county.

[irishamerican]

Biggest scam in America, believing we are truly homeowners, even if we built the home with our own two hands with material bought at stores & paid sales tax on.

[mynameisearl]

they should ...we need a new dollar tree dollar general family dollar subway mcdonalds wendys important stuff that you can't find anywhere else

[jaynecobb]

Eminent domain should not be used to line the pockets of wealthy corporations.

[nancycornett]

Law of eminent domain was never intended to be used in this way!

[TheRealDrJoey]

I remember after the Kelo decision went down that there was some patriot who tried to organize an eminent domain against Justice Souter's mother's home--where, naturally, he still lived.

[markstallings]

This is why government should always to be small and with no power over every day people