Decade since eminent domain battle

NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) -- It's been more than a decade since a brutal battle over eminent domain in New London. The city won and ripped down 90 acres worth of homes.

It's now 12 years later and nothing has been built there.

The question now is could something like that happen again here in Connecticut.

"That was our property," said Michael Cristofaro, "that was ours and look at it, it's all weeds."

For Cristofaro it is a field of broken dreams. The family house was leveled to make way for new construction. And 10 years later there are still no buildings.

"There is nothing," Cristofaro said. "I mean this is sad, this is sad."

It is the infamous Fort Trumbull New London: 90 acres at the center of a national battle over the use of eminent domain.

"New London and the Fort Trumbull project is exhibit A in what happens when you give massive corporate welfare to private parties and then abuse eminent domain," said Scott Bullock, Castle Coalition. "The Fort Trumbull project, as just about everybody in Connecticut knows, has been a total and complete disaster."

In 2000, the city's New London Development Corporation exercised eminent domain power to take homes  for economic development.

Cristofaro and several homeowners fought the taking of their land for private use all the way to the US Supreme Court.

The justices ruling was in favor of the city, allowing the houses to be bulldozed. However, a decade later the hotel, the townhouses, and the offices still haven't been built.

"It was like the ending of our families rights to be here," Cristofaro said.

"And what was it for," asked News 8's Erin Cox.

"Look, nothing," Cristofaro replied.

44 states have since adopted stronger protection for property owners, but a lawyer for the Fort Trumbull folks says Connecticut has not, meaning homeowners here are vulnerable.

"So Connecticut home and small business owners, unfortunately, are still threatened by the very type of eminent domain abuse we saw going on in New London," said Bullock. 

If you live in a neighborhood like Fort Trumbull you could be at risk for the use of eminent domain for development; older, middle-class neighborhoods along the shore or any property with a view of water could be a target.

How do you know if someone is eying your neighborhood? If you hear city or town leaders starting to use phrases like urban renewal or declaring areas as blighted it could be a sign they are considering using eminent domain.

"As the commercial real estate market rebounds the fact Connecticut has not passed strong reform home and small business owners do remain at risk," said Bullock.

What about the future of Fort Trumbull? Several projects have fallen through. Two years ago a developer was selected to build over 100 townhouses, the so-called Village on the Thames. Groundbreaking is set for next Spring.

"I'm still mad. I'm still angry. I'm still mad. I'm still ticked off of what they did to us," said... "They said in time the scars would heal, no the scars didn't heal, the scab will always be there."

For Cristofaro, others calling the area home hurts as much as looking at all the empty space.