Support for Boyarsky

Looks like Bill Boyarsky really skewered the North Hollywood redevelopment mavens to evoke such a shrill response. Three cheers for Boyarsky, and a loud raspberry to his critics who--surprise, surprise--turn out to have an economic interest in the North Hollywood redevelopment project.

Redevelopment stinks!

First of all, it is immoral to use the power of eminent domain to acquire land by force for the profit of business people who are unable or unwilling to compete effectively in the market and buy the land they want voluntarily.

It is even worse that the people being forcibly displaced have to suffer a variety of losses that the courts hold to be “noncompensable.” That makes a mockery of the Constitution’s promise of “just compensation.”

The real purpose of the eminent domain taking is to enrich a bunch of business people, by reselling the condemned land to them at a subsidized, “written down” price that is often far below the cost of acquisition.

The notion that it’s all a freebie because the cost of redevelopment is funded through higher taxes paid by owners of the redeveloped properties is about as honest as all other something-for-nothing schemes. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

First of all, when tax increments go to the redevelopment agency, that means that they are being diverted from other local agencies and have to be made up by the taxpayers. Second, tax increments diverted to the redevelopment agency include taxes that would have been generated anyway by private development of the area that would have occurred at least to some extent without government intervention.

Finally, when a redevelopment project fails--and some do--guess who gets stuck with the tab?

If the North Hollywood business people want to redevelop, let them make their own investment and risk their own money.

GIDEON KANNER

Burbank