philadelphia condemnation lawyer PennDOT

The Philadelphia RDA has condemned property owned by a nationally recognized artist. This condemnation has received a great deal of attention including newspaper and radio coverage (I was interviewed by one station) and now by Forbes. The property owner, James Dupree, has been using this property as his studio. The property is one of 17

The Texas Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a challenge to a jury’s award of “stigma” damages for contaminated property that was remediated. In that case, the Court will consider whether temporary environmental harm can form the basis of a cause of action.

Oral argument is scheduled for Dec. 5. The case is Houston Unlimited

The Appraisal Institute has released a study concluding that solar photovoltaic systems typically increase market value and almost always decrease marketing time of single-family homes in the Denver metropolitan area. A PV system is a solar electric system that is designed to convert sunlight into electricity. The Appraisal Institute worked with the Colorado Energy Office

The NJ Supreme Court recently issued an important decision regarding valuing properties in eminent domain cases for a use not permitted by the zoning as of the valuation date. In Borough of Saddle River v. 66 East Allendale, LLC, the Court considered whether “it was proper to allow the jury to hear evidence on the

A new Philadelphia billboard bill has passed a City Council Committee.  The bill would legalize all existing billboards and permit conversion of some to brighter digital displays.  The bill was sponsored by Councilman Bobby Henon.   According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, billboard representatives complained about a proposed boost in annual license fees from $50 to $315. 

The Orlando City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing the use of eminent domain for 2 properties for a proposed soccer stadium. The City Council members voted to allow the initiation of eminent domain proceedings if needed for the stadium project proposed by the Orlando City Soccer Club in its bid to join Major League

New Jersey Governor Chis Christie signed into law legislation somewhat restricting local governments’ use of eminent domain for private redevelopment. It also creates an alternative to condemnation for redevelopment projects. S-2447, passed 36-1, was expressly designed to codify New Jersey Supreme Court’s decisions holding that the prior statutory standard for “blight” — that the property

According to a recent report by LexisNexis, appraisal and mortgage fraud has decreased nationwide. The FBI’s pending fraud cases was 1,954 during fiscal year 2012 as compared to 2,691 cases reported the previous year. The biggest category of fraud was application fraud which accounted for almost 70%. 9% involved appraisal fraud which was a very

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development told Congress it could not  say if the Federal Housing Administration would insure new mortgages in communities including Richmond, California that propose to seize home loans through eminent domain. “Pending legal developments and possible further execution of the plans in question, HUD does not know whether any