Word reaches us from New Jersey that the Township of Bloomfield which had earlier deposited $400,000 for the taking of the old railroad station in Bloomfield (and later increased its offer to $440,00) just got hit with a jury verdict of $1.1 million. There was an award in an earlier trial (reversed on appeal) that resulted in a verdict of $2.9 million. So this was the verdict on retrial. Though lower than the first jury verdict, the $1.1 award was over three times the township’s offer.
The subject property was 0.62 of an acre, and improved with the old station. The owner intended to leave the old station undisturbed and improve the rest of the parcel with a mix of residential and commercial uses, under a plan that was consistent with existing zoning.
See “Town’s got to pay for land it seized — $1.1M more than it wanted to.” https://www.nj.com/essex/2019/01/towns-got-to-pay-for-land-it-seized-11m-more-than-it-wanted-to.html