this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2026
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Even if they didn't do her dirty, she wouldn't. She donated it to the city and relinquished ownership of it. The expectation, even written into the deed, was that the land was to be used as a park, but they turned around and sold it multiple times. Despite the stipulation in the original deed to the parks and recreation department, the data center is still going forward.
The story is just such a tragedy all around.
Huh, I’m not an attorney but that sure seems actionable if the intended use was documented in a contract.
You don't get it, they will build a data center park!
She's got an attorney and they're trying to stop it based on that, but it just seems like everyone involved (edit: besides her) just doesn't give a fuck.
They've been taught that if they ignore the law and do whatever they want to they don't get punched in the face.
That will only go on for so long but it's going to suck until someone gets punchy.
Especially with the recent East Wing argument, the lesson is "if you do it fast enough and ignore other people getting angry about it, you can do whatever you want."
The only reason they ever didn't ignore people getting angry about things was because when people used to get angry they also got shooty.
What's the saying? "Ownership is 90% posession."
Like with the stuff going on at the East Wing or the Kennedy Center, some people just move forward even if they're not allowed to because chances are they won't be stopped or penalized.
"Possession is nine-tenths of the law" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possession_is_nine-tenths_of_the_law
gimme some wiskey and point them out, I get punchy, 1 shot or 20
The relevant case law may be found in Molotov vs. New Construction .
While in many ways it is a tragedy, the cure is often worse. I on balance oppose deed restrictions, either you own the land and pay taxes, or you give up all control. Deed restrictions just force future generations to live by your values and that is a bad thing.
It's a lot like another commenter mentioned about eminent domain. It can be used for good (roads, fiber deployments, district heating, etc) but also for things not so good (data centers, etc).
I went out of my way to find a house that didn't even have a vestigial HOA deed restriction, so I get that. But when a private citizen donates something to the local municipality, it's pretty egregious to not honor those restrictions, especially for things that may take a while to develop.
I'd donate my share of my family's farmland to build a park, but I wouldn't sell it for all the money in the world to build a datacenter or landfill or anything else, really.
It is a jerk move for sure and the voters should be mad about this. If you can't keep your word without a contract that says a lot about your lack of honor.
I'm talking pure legality here though. The cities actions are legal and should be. They are however dishonorable and nobody should deal with the city again.