By Stephen Stirling
Willets Point United Against Eminent Domain Abuse, the property owners’ group, has retained the services of attorney Michael Rikon to fight the city’s bid to use eminent domain in the Iron Triangle, the group announced Tuesday.
“This guy knows our situation as good as we do. We don’t have to explain anything to him,” said Willets Point United President Jerry Antonacci. “This guy is like a rock star among attorneys.”
Earlier this month, the city Economic Development Corp. said it planned to hold a public hearing in the near future that would officially start the march toward eminent domain — generally a several-year-long process — although it said it remained committed to negotiating property acquisitions with landowners outside the courts.
Since the City Council approved plans to transform Willets Point into a massive residential and commercial neighborhood, the city has had trouble negotiating property acquisitions at the site. Although the city controls approximately 40 of the 62 acres of land, dozens of individual property owners have not sold their land to the city.
Willets Point United represents a number of those businesses and hired Rikon to wage a potentially lengthy court battle with the city.
Rikon has been active in eminent domain litigation for more than 30 years and helped draft the New York State Eminent Domain Procedure Law, which dictates the process through which governments acquire private land in the state.
“The city promised that eminent domain would only be used to take property from ‘one or two holdouts’ — which is a far cry from the 59 landowners, or 80 percent of those who are left ,” said Jake Bono, spokesman for Willets Point United. “Thankfully, we have Mr. Rikon, who will vigorously represent us on all matters until we achieve victory. This will protect future generations from being subject to abusive New York City eminent domain practices.”
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at sstirling@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
