When a state or municipality takes title to private property, the private property owner must be compensated for the property condemned by the government. The TexasConstitution calls for “adequate compensation” to be paid. At issue is what constitutes “adequate compensation” when private property in Texas is condemned by the State or a Texas municipality under the constitutional takings authority known as “eminent domain.”
Austin’s Simple Fix for Soaring Housing Costs
After years of watching home prices skyrocket out of reach for first responders, nurses, and young families, in December 2023, Austin city council voted to rewrite its zoning code. The first phase of its HOME Initiative—known as HOME-1—effectively allowed up to three homes on most lots that previously could host only one. A year later,...