If it was just a business trying to buy a house, why was eminent domain involved?
Because the Supreme Court in their decision (Kelo) over a case in New London, Conn. decided that a business trying to engage in development useful to the community could take someone’s house. They also decided if I recall correctly that states could make their own rules on this. Here is a detailed explanation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London