Temporary restraining order on Johnston’s eminent domain for public safety complex

JOHNSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — The Santoro family and their lawyers held a press conference Wednesday regarding the ongoing lawsuit with the Town of Johnston using eminent domain to seize land that was planned for low-income housing.

On Jan. 28, the Johnston Town Council voted “yes” to the Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena’s proposal of taking the land  to build a brand new public safety complex, canceling 252 lower-income housing units.

The developers behind the proposed apartment complex said there is now a temporary retraining order to prevent town officials from building on the land.

Pacific Legal Foundation, representing the Santoro family, said the the mayor and Town Council “invoked eminent domain to block housing that’s affordable for low-to-moderate-income families, simply because they don’t want that kind of thing in their town.”

“When government paints the eminent domain target on a property owner’s back, the Constitution requires genuine public purpose,” a statement from Pacific Legal Foundation said. “But the mayor’s own words and actions reveal that the Town’s sudden need to relocate its municipal complex to a new location miles away on the edge of town is nothing more than a smokescreen—a fake justification to take the LLCs’ property for spite, to block new affordable housing openly opposed by the mayor. The Constitution forbids this sleight-of-hand and abuse of eminent domain.”

Mayor Joseph Polisena issued a statement regarding the eminent domain case on Wednesday, saying in part:

“This is about prioritizing the future of Johnston and its current taxpayers — not about some rich developers making a major profit. My mission remains to provide our first responders with the facilities they deserve and to ensure that residents receive the services they pay taxes for and are entitled to. We will continue to promote owner-occupied, single-family home construction, such as the projects off Shun Pike, Pine Hill, and other smaller projects around Johnston.”