About a year ago, the Philadelphia RDA condemned property owned by a nationally recognized artist. This condemnation received a great deal of local and national attention including newspaper and radio coverage (I was interviewed by one station). The property owner, James Dupree, used this property as his studio. The property was one of 17 properties condemned by the RDA allegedly to cure blight in that neighborhood and would have been used to build a new supermarket.

Dupree challenged the taking and the RDA has now decided to abandon the condemnation and the project.  Brian Abernathy, executive director of RDA, said in a statement, “Unfortunately, the legal costs associated with Mr. Dupree’s appeals make it impossible to continue . . . . While we have explored the potential of building around Mr. Dupree’s property, a viable project under these conditions is not possible. In short, the inability to acquire Mr. Dupree’s property puts the prospect of bringing fresh food to this community at serious risk.”

This decision has also attracted the attention of the press locally and nationally including the Washington Post.  Once again, this show the sensitivity of issues relating to the taking of private property.