The Houston household of Renton has spent greater than a decade looking for justice and equity from the Renton Faculty District. The district pressured the Houstons to sell their land beneath risk of condemnation, lastly buying the Houstons’ 9.8-acre property in 1968 by eminent area. The district had deliberate to construct Apollo Center Faculty on the Houstons’ property, however by no means did.
As a substitute, the district bought the land to a developer in 1980. Right this moment dozens of houses within the $800,000 to $1 million vary occupy the land that makes up a part of The Orchards subdivision.
Although the Houston household has but to get justice, their plight has spurred the sponsorship of a invoice that, ought to it grow to be legislation, would shield property house owners sooner or later.
Senate Bill 5142, known as the Houston Eminent Area Equity Act, would require college districts that plan to promote land they acquired by way of eminent area, however by no means used for its meant objective inside 15 years, to supply the sellers or their heirs an opportunity to purchase the land again for a similar sale worth.
That’s the place “equity” is available in. Had the Houston household been provided that choice in 1980, they could or could not have been financially in a position to purchase the land again for $44,600, which is how a lot the college paid for the land. However it will solely be truthful to permit them — or any of the opposite households whose land was taken on the time — the prospect to take action.
Although the invoice, which has bipartisan help, deserves to grow to be legislation, it’s slim in scope, and solely impacts property taken by eminent area by college districts. Ideally it ought to embody all authorities entities.
Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D- Seattle, sponsored the invoice.
“We narrowed it simply to deal with college districts as a result of it simply would have been too heavy of a raise to get cities and counties and different political subdivisions on board,” Hasegawa stated. “It’s a foot within the door.”
A study by the Institute for Justice stated that between 1949 and 1973, 2,532 tasks had been carried out by eminent area in 992 cities, displacing 1 million individuals.
When authorities unfairly robs households of generational wealth by way of eminent area, if attainable, authorities also needs to assist restore the injury. HB 5142 would assist do exactly that.
