A Man's Home Is His Castle

Putting on my libertarian (small 'L') hat on for a second, I have no problem with the $1.25 million selling price for Joe Horney's property at the infamous Rookwood Exchange site. More power to him.

To the owners who sold - that was of course their right to sell their property in exchange for what they considered a fair price. Good for them. But nobody should begrudge any homeowner from asking for a higher price, or not wanting to sell at all, just so that an office/shopping center that will probably be out of style in 10 years anyway can be built. This was not a road or bridge or power plant to be built on that site.

I believe the Ohio Supreme Court case was an important one, but at what cost for the three original holdouts? What did they pay in money (even though they were represented pro bono), stress, energy, and years of life. I believe the man from the older couple has passed away. There was a couple that ran a franchise math and reading center - one less small business in the city of Norwood. Good one.

As for Horney, IIRC, he did not actually live in his property, but rented it out. Nonetheless, he bought the property and paid the mortgage, and I'm sure he didn't have any tenants when they started bulldozing the neighborhood.

Now, with the last holdout gone, I'm looking forward to having more retail options in the area!