And so the Point Breeze debate—which kind of development, if any, benefits the neighborhood?—rages on. Last we checked in, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson had proposed a bill that would allow the city to seize 43 properties via eminent domain and develop them as a mix of market-rate and affordable housing, which Johnson said would ensure a "mixed income and culturally diverse community." Some of the properties on the list were owned by city agencies; others were owned by individuals who owed back taxes or had liens against the properties.
OCF Realty's Ori Feibush, of Lotgate fame, speedily launched a petition in opposition to Johnson's so-called land grab. The petition asserts that Johnson's list is retailiation against Feibush and that the plan...you know what? There's more drama between these guys than 100 episodes of Dr. Phil. We're frankly exhausted, so let's get to the bottom line.
A Council committee gave an initial okay last week, although the number of properties to be seized by the Redevelopment Authority will be reduced from 43 to 28. A final vote will likely come in the next month. If we had a crystal ball, we'd venture a guess that no matter how many people sign a petition (it's almost at 950 now), this bill is going through. Then again, we don't have Nate Silver on staff. Alas.
· Point Breeze [CPHI]
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