She “forgot” to buy the land? What kind of statement is that? I’ll tell you what kind—it’s a statement loaded with bias, unless you have evidence justifying use of the word forgot.
According to other things I’ve read (blogs — I’m trying to track down news articles), the plans for the sports center started before 1999. Had they purchased the land then, it would have been available. Instead, they waited until another buyer showed up. Perhaps “forgot” was a loaded word, but essentially, they blew it by not starting on the purchase soon enough.
After they were outbid for the land, they just used government authority to try and take it. When that failed, they just continued in court. Sorry I said “forgot.” The rest is in the article.