Bit of land triggers big fight over city powers (Paging Corrupt Mayor Bill White)

Houston Chronicle ^ | CAROLYN FEIBEL | 28 Dec 08

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Using its power of eminent domain, the city of Houston seized the land for the park from brothers James and Jock Collins last year. Officials claimed there was a "public necessity" for the park in the Uptown area, despite the fact that a much larger one — the 4.7-acre Grady Park — is just two blocks away.

What will the new "pocket park" be used for? That's hard to say. The city has yet to draw up any plans for the land at the corner of Post Oak Lane and San Felipe. In fact, city parks director Joe Turner testified in a sworn deposition last month that his department did not come up with the idea for the park and that he opposed using condemnation powers for its creation.

What the park will provide is a landscaped gateway to an upscale development planned next door, called BLVD Place.

In the end, the city condemned the land, offering the brothers $433,800, only $70,050 more than they paid for the property in 1982, and a million less than what Wulfe had offered.

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Sad indeed. Read the entire article, Bill White and his cronies are as crooked as they come.

[Philo1962]

Bill White is as corrupt as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Just not as infamous on a national level.

[Texas56]

Something smells pretty fishy here. Whomever decides to run against White for the U.S. Senator position White is eyeing, should take a long hard look at the article, it might come in handy.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

And the brothers had to take a million bucks less than the developer offered? Somethin’ really stinks!

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Fossi said he believes the Collins brothers have been motivated by excessive greed in their refusal to sell their land for a reasonable price, forcing the city to use eminent domain.

This crook should be taken out and given a good ol' fashioned Texas whipping for making such an asinine statement.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Yeah, it looks like the developer's offer included a provision that the $1.4 million would be paid out in installments, stretching out the payment process for years, probably in the hope that the brothers would die off before receiving the entire balance. The brothers see through this ruse and refuse, and so the developers make a few phone calls, and ouila, the city moves to taken the property at well below market value.

Crooks.

[Duke Phelan]

The brothers should reply with a letter to the city that they will only take payment in gold or silver as specified under the U.S. Constitution. It says no State shall make anything except coin of gold and silver payable for all debts, public and private.

Then they should sit back and watch the lawyers heads explode.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Bill White is as corrupt as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Just not as infamous on a national level.

Years ago a previous Houston mayor whose name I don't remember, granted himself the first cable TV franchise for the area then broke it into 4 parts and sold them all for big bucks. Most brazen thing I had ever seen.