Pfizer Tells City & State to Shove Eminent Domain

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[Photo courtesy of f.trainer/flickr]

Let's just say the fight for control of the land currently occupied by Pfizer in Williamsburg is not going to pretty to watch. The pharmaceutical giant, which is shutting down the plant, wants to find someone to develop the 15 acres of land as "a mixed-use, mixed-income complex." Meanwhile, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez has introduced a bill to get the land for affordable housing via eminent domain with part of the rationale being that Pfizer has "almost always donated their land back to the community in a good faith effort to contribute to areas" where its plants were located. Pfizer isn't having it. They emailed The Real Estate to say "Not only is the concept of state-sponsored eminent domain extremely premature at this point and potentially chilling for development statewide." Interestingly, it's not the only eminent domain threat being used in the Burg. State Sen. Joe Lentol is pushing an idea to seize the property held by TransGas, which saw its Williamsburg waterfront power plant turned down last week, for use as part of the Bushwick Inlet Park. Brooklyn's other big eminent domain hot spot is Atlantic Yards.
· Vito Lopez Moves to Take Pfizer's Brooklyn Site by Eminent Domain [TRE]
· Will Pfizer Need Anti-Depressants Over Brooklyn Property? [Curbed]

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