The point is that Trump used the eminent domain power of the CRDA for the purpose seizing private property for his own use. The court records confirm this.
And eventually a tactic like this was to hit the USSC in the case called Kelo, which ironically made a good counterexample to the WISDOM of such a move... the would be purchaser never followed through and it went to waste. More than forty states also added provisos to their law to limit eminent domain in some fashion in the wake of Kelo. Nothing about Kelo said a state had to have an equally lax policy; this was not the Roe v. Wade of eminent domain. Federalism arguably did the right thing here.
I think you are looking at this skewed. Atlantic City at the time was dying. There was no industry, no jobs, extensive urban blight and crime. No one wanted to move there and there was no tax base to fix things up. The town and surrounding areas hatched a plan to build casinos, got the State to approve because the town’s situation otherwise was a disaster.
The building of casinos spurred a lot of tourism for years. Atlantic City also became a conference destination. The tax base improved. Things took a downturn as we hit the recession and as other gambling sites were developed, splitting the traffic but it was a gamble that paid off well for years.
Trump came in after the process had been ongoing for years and made a proposal that was accepted by the town/CRDA (development society) He did nothing wrong and they had the right to encourage developers and decide to pursue the woman’s property and many other properties in concert with many other developers.
Whether she was wrong or right to refuse to sell is neither here nor there and is no one’s business. I am glad that she got her day in court and the issue was adjudicated because we are supposed to live in a Nation of laws. In this case the rights of the one were judged to be more valid than the supposed benefits to the many (tax base, town council). That’s OK and the town and Trump did nothing wrong by making a plan to revive the town’s economic development.
So what? The owners get paid 2, 3, 4 times or more what the property is worth?
The wall with Mexico. Keystone pipeline (a private company). The Rangers ballpark. None of those possible without using this law.