For as long I have lived in the League City area, the major entrances and exits on the freeway have been cloverleaf type intersections (Both Exits for Baybrook Mall Expansion -- Bay Area Boulevard and El Dorado). I'm sure when the intersections were built, the state used its power of eminent domain to acquire the massive amount of land needed for that type of intersection. Recently, the entire cloverleaf was torn down in favor of a standard overpass intersection, leaving a large area of very valuable real estate property now unused by the state that could be converted into prime retail.
Is the state now the lucky beneficiary of the increase in value during the time the cloverleaf was occupying the land? I imagine the answer to this is yes, but it doesn't seem fair that the state should be the sole beneficiary at the expense of the original landowner. It seems like the original owner should at least be given a first right of refusal when land is taken. This way, if the land becomes obsolete for state use, the original owner would be given the first opportunity to purchase the land back.
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