This Land Is Our Land, It Isn't Your Land...

How important are urban parks? More important than private property rights?

Those are the questions radiating outward from Olympia this week after the city announced plans to use eminent domain to obtain land for parks from two private property owners who refused to sell.

Both cases involve relatively large tracts of land in Olympia's rapidly growing state capitol. To help achieve its goal of having a park within a 1-mile walk of every resident, the city wants 3.69 of the 10 acres Sue Haskin and Errol Dye on Mud Bay Road. [the story] Earlier, the city council tabled an effort to take 1.72 acres of Carl and Susan Ott's horse-pasture land on Boulevard Road Extention, but only after the Otts and about 30 neighbors showed up to voice their opposition. [the story]

Everyone loves parks, but opinion seems uniformly against this use of eminent domain, at least in The Olympian's comments, where descriptions range from "tyranny" to "a socialist power grab." And worse. Looks like the City Council has some quick retreating to do....