UPDATED Dec. 7, 2011
The friends and supporters of the Ludwig's Corner Horse Show are encouraging people to attend the December 12, 2011 supervisors' meeting at the West Vincent Township Building. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Two of the supervisors have reportedly committed to supporting the rescission of the resolution calling for the initiation of condemnation proceedings on the horse show grounds, which passed at a previous meeting.
Dec. 6, 2011
The West Vincent Township Supervisors’ Meeting Monday night was attended by nearly 100 members of the equine community opposed to the Township’s plan to use the power of eminent domain to condemn the Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds and turn it into a township park. The supervisors told the crowd that they would vote on rescinding the condemnation resolution issued last week at a future meeting, to be held at a larger venue to accommodate the large number of attendees expected. The supervisors said that they didn’t vote on whether to rescind the resolution Monday because one of the Supervisors, Ken Miller, was not in attendance.
Check out more coverage here and here.
It looks like the Township will move to eventually purchase the horse show grounds one way or the other, regardless of the supervisors’ vote. The issue is really only whether the township will negotiate the purchase with the property owner directly, or will use eminent domain to take the property. Challenging condemnation based on eminent domain is difficult, particularly where the government seeks the property for a public use, but the Property Rights Protection Act limits the government’s ability to condemn property for private business. It is unclear whether the taking of Ludwig’s Corner would implicate the private business limitations. The township’s press release states that they will use the property for a public park to fulfill the vision of, “a compact, walkable, traditional village center containing a blend of municipal, commercial and residential uses.” The more likely point of contention will be the value of just compensation for the property taken. If the township doesn’t make a deal with the Ludwig’s Corner owners directly, the issue of compensation will be settled in court.