[Sent to the _Chronicle_ today in re "Neighborhood Tug-of-War: North Beach intrigue should end in a park", <URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/04/EDG4U2OSFE1.DTL >.]
Marc Bruno writes today about a proposed park in North Beach: "San Francisco can purchase the property at fair market value... in a process known as eminent domain." Let's be clear that eminent domain involves compensating an owner for property taken away - in this case, against his will. That is not the same as a purchase. In a city where the government can seize property at any time, is it any wonder that developers aren't enthusiastic about creating new housing?
Chris Maden
Chair, Libertarian Party of San Francisco