CONNECTICUT STATUTES AND CODES
Sec. 8-193. Acquisition and transfer of real property. Procedure. Powers of agency. Limitations.
Sec. 8-193. Acquisition and transfer of real property. Procedure. Powers of
agency. Limitations. (a) After approval of the development plan as provided in this
chapter, the development agency may proceed by purchase, lease, exchange or gift with
the acquisition or rental of real property within the project area and real property and
interests therein for rights-of-way and other easements to and from the project area.
(b) (1) The development agency may, with the approval of the legislative body in
accordance with this subsection, and in the name of the municipality, acquire by eminent
domain real property located within the project area and real property and interests
therein for rights-of-way and other easements to and from the project area, in the same
manner that a redevelopment agency may acquire real property under sections 8-128
to 8-133, inclusive, as if said sections specifically applied to development agencies,
except that no real property may be acquired by eminent domain pursuant to this subsection for the primary purpose of increasing local tax revenue.
(2) The development agency shall conduct a public hearing on any proposed acquisition of real property by eminent domain. The development agency shall cause notice
of the time, place and subject of the hearing to be published in a newspaper having a
substantial circulation in the municipality not more than ten days before the date set for
the hearing. Not less than ten days before the date of the hearing, the development agency
shall send, by first class mail, notice of the time, place and subject of the hearing to the
owners of record of the real property and to all owners of real property within one
hundred feet of the real property to be acquired by eminent domain.
(3) (A) No parcel of real property may be acquired by eminent domain under this
section except by approval by vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the legislative
body of the municipality or, in the case of a municipality for which the legislative body
is a town meeting or a representative town meeting, the board of selectmen. Such approval shall be by (i) separate vote on each parcel of real property to be acquired, or (ii)
a vote on one or more groups of such parcels, provided each parcel to be acquired is
identified for the purposes of a vote on a group of such parcels under this subparagraph.
The legislative body or the board of selectmen, as the case may be, shall not approve
the use of eminent domain by the development agency unless the legislative body or
board of selectmen has (I) considered the benefits to the public and any private entity
that will result from the development project and determined that the public benefits
outweigh any private benefits, (II) determined that the current use of the real property
cannot be feasibly integrated into the overall development plan, and (III) determined
that the acquisition of the real property by eminent domain is reasonably necessary to
successfully achieve the objectives of the development plan.
(B) The municipality shall cause notice of any approved acquisition by eminent
domain under this subdivision to be published in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the municipality not more than ten days after such approval.
(C) (i) The development agency shall acquire any property identified in the plan
as property to be acquired by eminent domain by a date that is five years after the date
the first property is acquired by eminent domain under the plan unless the development
agency approves an extension of the time for acquisition, except that no property may
be acquired by eminent domain under the plan more than ten years after the first property
is acquired by eminent domain under the plan.
(ii) With respect to a development plan for a project that is funded in whole or in
part by federal funds, the provisions of this subparagraph shall not apply to the extent
that such provisions are prohibited by federal law.
(4) The owner-occupant of property acquired by eminent domain under this section
may file an application in the superior court for the judicial district in which the municipality is located to enjoin the acquisition of such property. The court may issue such
injunction if the court finds that the development agency or municipality failed to comply
with the requirements of this chapter. The filing of an application to enjoin the acquisition
of property by eminent domain, in a court of competent jurisdiction, shall toll the five-year period or ten-year period set forth in subparagraph (C) of subdivision (3) of this
subsection with respect to such property until the date a final judgment is entered in any
such action, or any appeal thereof, whichever date is later.
(c) (1) With respect to real property acquired by eminent domain pursuant to this
section on or after June 25, 2007, if the municipality does not use the real property for
the purpose for which it was acquired or for some other public use and seeks to sell the
property, the municipality shall first offer the real property for sale pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection to the person from whom the real property was acquired, or
heirs of the person designated pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, if any, for
a price not to exceed the lesser of (A) the amount paid by the development agency to
acquire the property, or (B) the fair market value of the property at the time of any sale
under this subsection. After the municipality provides notice pursuant to subdivision
(2) of this subsection, the municipality may not sell such property to a third party unless
the municipality has permitted the person or named heirs six months during which to
exercise the right to purchase the property, and an additional six months to finalize the
purchase if the person or named heirs provide the municipality with notice of intent to
purchase the property within the initial six-month period.
(2) For the purposes of any offer of sale pursuant to this subsection, the municipality
shall provide a form to any person whose property is acquired by eminent domain pursuant to this section to permit such person to provide an address for notice of sale to be
sent, or to provide the name and address of an agent to receive such notice. Such form
shall be designed to permit the person to designate heirs of the person who shall be
eligible to purchase such property pursuant to this subsection. The person or agent shall
update information in the form in writing. If the person or agent does not provide or
update the information in the form in a manner that permits the municipality to send
notice of sale pursuant to this subsection, no such notice shall be required.
(3) With respect to a development plan for a project that is funded in whole or in
part by federal funds, the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the extent that
such provisions are prohibited by federal law.
(d) The development agency may, with the approval of the legislative body and, of
the commissioner if any grants were made by the state under section 8-190 or 8-195 for
such development project, and in the name of such municipality, transfer by sale or
lease at fair market value or fair rental value, as the case may be, the whole or any part
of the real property in the project area to any person, in accordance with the project plan
and such disposition plans as may have been determined by the commissioner.
(e) A development agency shall have all the powers necessary or convenient to
undertake and carry out development plans and development projects, including the
power to clear, demolish, repair, rehabilitate, operate, or insure real property while it is
in its possession, to make site improvements essential to the preparation of land for its
use in accordance with the development plan, to install, construct or reconstruct streets,
utilities and other improvements necessary for carrying out the objectives of the development project, and, in distressed municipalities, as defined in section 32-9p, to lend funds
to businesses and industries in a manner approved by the commissioner.
(1967, P.A. 760, S. 8; 1971, P.A. 505, S. 5; 1972, P.A. 87, S. 3; P.A. 74-184, S. 6, 10; P.A. 77-138, S. 2, 3; 77-410, S.
2, 5; P.A. 80-18, S. 2, 3; P.A. 84-243, S. 2; P.A. 07-141, S. 1.)
History: 1971 act amended Subsec. (a) by substituting Connecticut development commission for commissioner of
community affairs; 1972 act added power to rehabilitate real property in Subsec. (b); P.A. 74-184 substituted commissioner
of commerce for Connecticut development commission; P.A. 77-138 amended Subsec. (a) to delete phrase which had
restricted transfers of property by development agencies by allowing transfers only after completion of improvements
called for in plan; P.A. 77-410 required commissioner's approval of transfers if grants were made by the state for the
project in Subsec. (a); P.A. 77-614 substituted commissioner of economic development for commissioner of commerce,
effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-18 substituted "real property" for "land" and deleted reference to acquisition of real
property under Sec. 8-129; P.A. 84-243 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for loans to businesses and industries in distressed
municipalities; P.A. 07-141 inserted new Subsec. designators (b) and (c) and inserted Subdiv. designators, inserted exception in Subsec. (b)(1) that no property may be acquired for primary purpose of increasing local tax revenue, inserted new
provisions as Subsecs. (b)(2) to (4) re process for acquisition, inserted new provisions as Subsec. (c) re offer of sale to
owner if property not used for a public purpose, designated existing provisions re transfer of property as Subsec. (d), and
redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (e), effective June 25, 2007, and applicable to property acquired on or after
that date.
Cited. 177 C. 749. Cited. 184 C. 51.
Cited. 28 CA 622.
Prior use doctrine. Property devoted to public use by one municipality cannot be taken through eminent domain by
another municipality if proposed use will either destroy existing use or so interfere with it as to destroy it, except when
there is expressed or implied legislative authority. 35 CS 157.
Subsec. (a):
Authorization to acquire real property by eminent domain does not include or exclude any specific type of real property
leading to the conclusion that the power applies to real property as broadly defined in Sec. 8-187(9). 268 C. 1.