![\"About](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133675979,imgsize-2240459,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered-her-47000-and-is-now-trying-to-take-the-land-for-a-340-home-project.jpg\" "\\"Image")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn South Jersey’s Middle Township, a war goes on. The township has filed an eminent domain condemnation complaint that seeks to acquire 2.4 acres of land in Whitesboro for a large-scale housing development project. But the woman who owns the property, Dawn Robinson, does not want to give it up, according to a report by WHYY.\u201cThe land is already paid for,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIf I wanted to sell, I would have had a \u2018for sale\u2019 sign on it. I\u2019m not being rude, I don\u2019t want to sell. I want to keep it for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n What does eminent domain mean? Well, an eminent domain gives the government the power to take away someone’s private property. However, the Fifth Amendment states a property may only be taken away if it is for public use and the owner is paid just compensation.Middle Township wants to take her land in order to move forward with a multi-million dollar housing development plan, known as the Indian Trail Redevelopment project, to be built by a private, for-profit developer, NVR, Inc, also known as Ryan Homes. A show-cause hearing on the matter that was scheduled for May 6 was postponed until July 1. At a second court appearance in July, Robinson agreed to attend a mediation session to try to negotiate a land-swap settlement, but no deal was reached during the closed-door session, so the case could soon head back to court.Robinson hopes to convince a judge the housing development plan on the table doesn\u2019t need to include her property. \u201cI would love to keep my land and develop it myself,\u201d she said. \u201cI bought this land from the township, they didn\u2019t tell me there was an expiration on it.\u201d\u201cThey could build around me, no problem,\u201d she added. She stressed that her property is on the outer edge of where the developer wants to build the housing project.Robinson shared that nine years ago, an attempt was made to force the acquisition of dozens of parcels of land using eminent domain, but a judge rejected the proposal and the redevelopment of the area stalled.Kerrin Wolf, an associate law professor at Stockton University, said that if a town uses eminent domain, there needs to be a specific plan in place to redevelop the area in question. \u201cThey use [eminent domain] sometimes to build schools, sometimes to expand roadways, sometimes for public-private partnerships,\u201d Wolf said.Eminent domain can be used for commercial developments, as long as officials can prove the project is for legitimate public use. \u201cThey have to show that the development will be good for the community in some significant way, you have to have a very specific plan that shows clear public good,\u201d he said.\u201cEminent domain is supposed to be for public use,\u201d said Robinson. \u201cEveryone knows that is not happening in this case.\u201d She pointed out that last month the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Jackson Township v. Getzel Bee. In that case, the court ruled that local governments cannot use eminent domain to condemn private land and then transfer it to a developer.<\/p>\n Middle Township Mayor Christopher Leusner has strongly supported efforts to move the project forward, calling it \u201ca transformative initiative\u201d that will bolster township services. He said in a statement that the 340-home project \u201cwill deliver much-needed housing, help fulfil the township\u2019s affordable housing obligations, generate millions in new revenue for the township and convert long-vacant, fragmented land into a vibrant residential community.\u201dJames Maley, a partner at the law firm Maley Givens in Collingswood, said his firm will represent Middle Township in the condemnation proceeding. He said the lots being taken are extremely small and were given to people in the 1930s as part of a newspaper promotion.\u201cThe township has been working for 10 years on assembling lots so that [the property] can be developed,\u201d Maley said. \u201cA development of this nature is critical for the community to provide more opportunities for decent housing. It will also increase the [township\u2019s] ratable base and make the township more affordable for everyone.\u201dMaley said affordable housing units will be offered as part of the project, and that dozens of lots have already been acquired in preparation for the development to move forward.<\/p>\n Robinson’s friend, Janice Roots, helped convince the co-founders of Truth and Record, an online platform that advocates for social justice and accountability, to help spread the word about her case and collect donations for her legal defence. \u201cThey work on behalf of the descendants of those sold as enslaved people,\u201d Roots said. \u201cThey have a strong network throughout the country, and I felt they would be a good resource.\u201dRoots said she felt compelled to help Robinson for personal reasons. \u201cMy family has been through the exact same situation,\u201d she said. \u201cMy great-great-grandfather received 40 acres after emancipation around 1870. Subsequently, the land was seized from him, and I didn\u2019t want to see history repeat itself with Dawn.\u201dRachel Davis, the co-founder of Truth and Record said they decided to help Robinson since they felt it was an “unjust case.” \u201cEminent domain is often used by the government to displace predominantly Black and Brown people and poor people, and our stories that we tell come from that historical perspective.\u201dTruth and Record\u2019s other co-founder Chelsea Nicolas said the case raises several red flags. \u201cThis case is located in a historically Black neighbourhood, and eminent domain is being used to seize land for a private developer, she said. \u201cThe significance of this on economic security, inheritance, community continuity, all of those things are impacted.\u201dShe said a website has been established to help collect donations for Robinson\u2019s legal costs and to tell her story. Robinson said she feels honoured that people in her community and others she doesn\u2019t even know are helping her.\u201cI think my neighbours believe that if it happens to me, it can happen to them, with eminent domain, that they can just take your ownership from you if they want your land,\u201d she said.Robinson said even if she wanted to sell, part of the legal agreement she has been offered stipulates that if the land ever needs to be remediated, she would be financially responsible for whatever needed to be done, even after the sale was complete. \u201cIf they find anything on it, tomorrow or 20 years from now, I\u2019m responsible for that,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cHow can they take something from me and hold me responsible?\u201dRobinson said she has been offered $47,000 for her 2.4-acre property, which is right next to her current home. However, that is only $7,000 more than what she initially paid for the property 23 years ago. She said she originally owned two lots, but that the township split one of them in half, so technically, she is now the owner of three parcels of land.If an agreement is not reached, the case will head back to Superior Court at an unspecified date for a final judgment on whether the township has the authority to take Robinson\u2019s property. If the eminent domain complaint is upheld, a three-person commission would then decide the value of her 2.4 acres.\u201cI\u2019m not in the way,\u201d she said. \u201cI really can\u2019t say they need [my property], I feel it\u2019s more that they just want it.\u201d<\/div>\n In South Jersey’s Middle Township, a war goes on. The township has filed an eminent domain condemnation complaint that seeks to acquire 2.4 acres of land in Whitesboro for a large-scale housing development project. But the woman who owns the property, Dawn Robinson, does not want to give it up, according to a report by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/about-20-years-ago-dawn-robinson-paid-40000-for-24-acres-in-new-jersey-middle-township-later-offered.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"In South Jersey’s Middle Township, a war goes on. The township has filed an eminent domain condemnation complaint that seeks to acquire 2.4 acres of land in Whitesboro for a large-scale housing development project. 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Help from outside<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"