House narrows RDA eminent‑domain power after floor fight; bill passes

The Utah House on Feb. 15 amended and approved a bill that curtails redevelopment agencies’ ability to use eminent domain, touching off a lengthy floor fight over property rights and local redevelopment.

Representative Olsen moved to reconsider House Bill 116, and Representative Valentine offered an amendment to strip language dealing with sale of property and leave only the eminent‑domain issue for consideration. Proponents — including Representative Valentine and Representative Hunter — argued the amendment narrowed the bill to the core, contentious issue and made the measure more likely to gain support.

“Those two issues sometimes have a tendency to clutter each other up,” Representative Valentine said when offering the change. Representative Hunter urged colleagues to protect individual property rights, saying the public expects lawmakers to defend citizens from loss of private property for the benefit of private parties.

Opponents painted a different picture. Representative Davis told the chamber the change would restrict redevelopment agencies’ ability to assemble properties and complete projects that, in his view, serve broader community interests. “All we’re doing is stopping RDAs from having the ability to assemble properties to do what local communities need to do to redevelop their areas,” Davis said.

Representative Jones warned that if the restriction had been in place in earlier decades, several major urban redevelopment projects in Salt Lake City would not exist today. “At some point this does come down to individual rights versus the rights of the community,” he said.

After debate, the House adopted the Valentine amendment. The body then passed HB116 as amended, 40 affirmative to 33 negative, and returned it to the senate for further consideration.

Next steps: The bill was amended on the floor to focus on eminent‑domain language and the House transmitted the amended legislation to the Senate for its consideration.