Residents cite 14th Court of Appeals ruling and urge Freeport to consider eminent domain for East End housing

Melanie Oldham told the council on Oct. 6 that the Fourteenth Court of Appeals recently ruled against Port Freeport’s effort to acquire East End property through eminent domain. Oldham, who said she attended a 2019 Port vote on the matter, said families such as Pam Tilley’s and her father Marshall have long opposed the port’s acquisition and that the court found the port had not established the required public use.

Oldham said the city has eminent-domain authority and argued the land on the East End does not flood, making it suitable for housing. She urged the council to consider using the city’s powers to secure land for public uses such as housing rather than allowing industrial development that speakers said has not produced promised residential growth.

Roll Manning Rollerson also criticized decades of emphasis on manufacturing and industrial projects at the expense of housing and retail, and urged the council to use eminent domain to return land to residential use. Rollerson said the city has repeatedly prioritized incentives for companies while failing to build neighborhood amenities and questioned why businesses such as Starbucks left the city.

Both speakers framed their remarks as recommendations for the council to pursue residential redevelopment of the East End rather than further industrial uses. The comments were delivered during the public-comment portion of the Oct. 6 meeting; the council did not record formal action on eminent-domain authority during that portion of the transcript.