Recently in Eminent Domain in Boston:

The Town of Easton has ordered the property condemnation of a piece of land that has plagued the residents of the landscaped Village Gate Community for years. The Easton real estate at issue is apparently overgrown with weeds, rotted trees, and burned out trailers, in stark contrast to the otherwise manicured townhouse community.

According to Wicked Local Easton, neighbors of the blight on 427 Turnpike Street have been concerned with the property saying that it invites vermin and vagrants. On the property are piles of trash and three trailers left in disrepair. One of the trailers was damaged in a fire three years ago, and the debris of the fire has been left on the property ever since. Neighbors have expressed concern that the eyesore affects their own home values.

Most Boston real estate lawyers understand the word "eminent domain" to mean that the government plans to take over property with an economic development purpose.

And while this is generally understood to relate to the building of some public necessity or perhaps public transit, the principle is simple: the government can condemn private property for an economic development.

But the city of Boston is now using the tactic of eminent domain in an alleged hardball tactic against one of the city's most prominent developers.