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Comment by kasey_junk | Hacker News Reader

Are you suggesting that an American city could socialize a large chunk of its private real estate with the stroke of a pen or that landlords are waiting for some legal change to turn their office/retail space into homeless shelters and needle exchanges?

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The 5th Amendment of the US Constitution specifically permits eminent domain with "just compensation" so yes an American city could take a large chunk of its private real estate under eminent domain and put it to "public use". Converting vacant office buildings into homeless shelters would absolutely count as a "public use".

Buying some of the most expensive real estate in the world with “just compensation” seems like it’s more than a stroke of a pen.

Further, the court cases this will bring will take _forever_ because one side will be extremely well funded and the other side will be the city of San Francisco. Not the stroke of a pen.

Boston has done it, I worked with an affordable housing group that worked on this stuff. The difference was these were largely undeveloped lots, not office buildings.

That seems like a big distinction…

Why not? Theyve laid waste to hundreds of thousands of homes to build freeways with a stroke of a pen before.

I'm not sure if that was sarcasm (especially the part with needle exchange), but it is San Francisco so yes, it could.

I would rather free housing go to people in need who work for a living

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