## COURT OFAPPEALS SECOND DISTRICTOF TEXAS FORT WORTH NO. 2 - 08 - 04 2- CV CA S COT T , L . L . C. AP P E L L ANT V . C I TY O F AR LI N G TO N A PPELL EE

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----- ----- NO. 2 - 08 - 10 7- CV CLYD E L . GOD F R E Y AP P E L L ANT V . C I TY O F AR LI N G TO N A PPELL EE

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----- ----- NO. 2 - 08 - 13 7- CV CLYDE L . GO DFRE Y, AN D APPE L L AN TS W A Y N E C O B L E A N D N A N C YC O B L E , T R US T E E E S OFT HE W AY NE AN D NA NC Y CO BL E L I VI NG TRUST V . C I TY O F AR LI N G TO N A PPELL EE

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----- -----6 NO. 2 - 08 - 13 8- CV CA S COT T , L . L . C. AP P E L L ANT V . C I TY O F AR LI N G TO N A PPELL EE

----- ----- FR O M CO UN TY CO URT AT LAW NO . 1 OF T ARRA NT CO UN TY

----- ----- NO. 2 - 08 - 13 9- CV W AL T E RHU GH HE R R I NGT ON AP P E L L ANT V . C I TY O F AR LI N G TO N A PPELL EE

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----- ----- -- FR O M CO UN TY CO URT AT LAW NO . 1 OFTARRAN T CO UN TY

----- ----- --1 ... T e x . L o c . G o v ’t C o d e A n n . § 3 3 4 .0 2 1 (a ) (V e rn o n 2 0 0 5 ). 7 

### OPI NI ON

----- ----- -- I n t hi s con so l i dat ed app ea l i nvol vi ng t he C i t y ofA r l i ngt on’ s exe r ci seof e m i n e n t do m a i n to o b tai n lan d fo r a s tad i u m v e n u ep rojec t, se v e n tee n p rop e rt y ow ner s ar gue in a s i n gl e i ssue t hatt he t r i al courter r ed i n gr ant i ng a part i al s u m m a ryju d g m e n tt h a tt h e C it yp r o p e r lyin v o k e d it sa u t h o r it yt o c o n d e m n t h e ir p r o p e rt i e s . We a f f i r m. I . Bac kground I n 2 00 4, t he C i t y a n d t he D al l as C ow boys neg ot i at ed a “M ast er A g ree m e n t” d e tai l i n g the b a sic term s b yw h i c h th eC i ty w o u l d b e c o m ethe si te o fa n e w s p o rt s s t a d iu m c o m p le x . T h a tA u g u s t , t h eA r lin g t o n C it yC o u n c il p a ss e d R e so l u ti o n N o . 0 4 -3 5 8 , w h i c h d e sign a ted the sp o rt s s tad i u m p rojec t a “v enu e p r oj ec t ” unde rChapt er334 oft he Loc alG ove r nm entCode a nd es t abl i sh ed how t he pr oj ec tw oul d bef i nan ce d. Sec t i on 334. 021 ( a) oft he L o c a l G o v e rnm e n t C o d e a l l o w s f o r c e rt a i n m u n i c i p a l i ti e s, i n c l u d i n g the C i ty, to “p rov i d e for the p l a n n i n g , a c q u i sit i o n , e sta b l i sh m e n t, d e v e l o p m e n t, c o n s tru c ti o n , o r re n o v a ti o n o f a v e n u ep roj e c t.” 1 T h e c o d e d e fi n e s “ v e n u e ” to i ncl ude “an ar ena, col i seum , st adi um , o ro t hertype o farea orfaci l i t y . . . t hat i s u se d o r i s p l a n n e d for u se for o n eo r m o re p ro fes sion a l o r am a teu r sp o rt s2 ... Id. § 3 3 4 .0 0 1 (4 )(A )(i ). 3 ... See i

d. § 3 3 4 .0 2 1 (d e ta i l i n g p ro c e d u re fo r d e v e l o p i n g v e n u ep roj e c t). 4 ... See i

d. § 334 . 021 ( a) ( 3) ( pr ovi di ng v ot erap pr ova l r equ i r ed f orve nue p ro j e c t). 8 e v e n ts. . . .” 2 Re s o l u t i o n 04
- 35 8 d e c l a r e d t h a t t h i s v e n u e p r o j e c t s h al l be

“ k n o w n a s‘T h e D a l l a sC o w b o y sC o m p l e xD e v e l o p m e n t P roj e c t.’” A ft erpa ss ageofRes ol ut i on No. 04- 358 , t he C i t y a nd t he C ow boys exe cut ed t he M as t er A gr ee m ent and obt ai ned app r ova l f or t he pr oj ec tf r om t he T e x a sC o m p tro l l e r. 3The C i t y Counci l t he n ca l l ed a s pec i alel ec t i on f or N ove m ber2, 2004 , t o a l l ow qua l i f i ed vot er s t o a ppr oveordi sa ppr ovet he D a l l a s C o w b o y s C o m p l e xD e v e l o p m e n t P rojec t. 4 T h ep rop o sit i o n p res e n ted to t he vot er s ( 1) de sc r i bed t he pur pos e o ft he pr oj ec taspl ann i ng, ac qui si t i on, es t abl i sh m ent , devel opm ent , cons t r uct i on, an d f i nan ci ng ofa m ul t i - pur pos e a nd m ul t i pl e- f unc t i on s t adi um pr oj ec t t o bepr i m ar i l y us ed ast he si t e f orCow boys hom e g am es , an d ( 2) de t ai l ed t he m et hodsf orf i nan ci ng t he pr oj ec t , i ncl udi ng i m po si t i on ofad di t i ona l Ci t y t axe s on s al es , ve hi cl e r ent al s, hot eloc cup anc y, a n d a d m i s s i o n to a n d p a rk in g a t v e n u ep roj e c t e v e n ts . Am aj o ri tyo f v o te rs a p p rov e d the p rojec t. T h e C i ty a n d the C o w b o y s th e n p roc e e d e d to n e g o ti a te v a ri o u s c o n tr a c ts con t em pl at ed by t he M as t erA gr ee m ent , i ncl udi ng a l ea seag r ee m ent( t he5 ... SeeT e x . P rop . C o d e A n n . § 2 1 .0 0 1 ( V e rno n 2 0 0 4 ) (“D i stri c t co u rt s

a n d c o u n t yc o u rt sa tl a w h a v ec o n c u r r e n tju r is d ic t io n in e m in e n td o m a in c a s e s .” ); i

d. § 21. 012 ( V er non Supp . 2008 ) ( des cr i bi ng pr oce dur e f orf i l i ng a nd re q u i re d c o n te n tso f c o n d e m n a ti o n p e ti ti o n ).

6 ... See i

d. § 21 . 01 5 ( V er non 20 04 ) ( descr i bi ng r esponsi bi l i t i es ofspeci al c o m m i s s i o n e rsi n c o n d e m n a ti o n p ro c e e d i n g s ). 9 “L ea se ”) t hats et s outt he t er m s oft he C ow boys ’ future u se oft he st adi um f aci l i t i es. I n m i d- 200 5 , t he C i t y Counci l publ i cl y i den t i f i ed t he l oca t i on f ort he pr oj ec tand pass ed r es ol ut i onsaut hor i z i ng Ci t y r epr es ent at i vest o ne got i at e t he pur chases ofpr opert y w i t hi n t he pr opo sed l ocat i on. W h i l e som e oft hese neg ot i at i onsw er e s ucc es sf ul , t he C i t y a nd s om e p r ope rt y ow ner s coul d not r each agr eem ent s on t he C i t y’s p ur chase oft hei rpr opert i es. The C i t y t hen i ni t i at ed cond em nat i on pr oceedi ngs i n t he coun t y courtatl aw agai nstt hose pr opert y ow ner s. 5 Th e C i t y cond uct ed hear i ngs bef or e speci al com m i ssi oner s w ho i ssued aw ar ds t hat w er e subsequen t l y f i l ed i n t he cond em nat i on p roc eedi ngs. 6 T h e p rop e rt yo w n e rs b o th o bj e c ted to th e a m o u n ts o f t h eaw a rds an d fi l e d p l e a s to t he j ur i sd i ct i on c hal l eng i ng t he pr opr i et y o ft he C i t y’ s exe r ci seofem i nen t d o m a i n . The pr ope rt y ow ner s and t he C i t y t he n f i l ed com pet i ng m ot i onsf or su m m ary j udgm entr ega r di ng t he pr opr i et y oft he C i t y’ s exerci se ofem i nen t7 ... O ur consol i dat i on or der st at ed t hat “[ e] ach appeal shal l conti nue to

b e a r i tsre s p e c ti v e c a u s e n u m b e r.”

8 ... Se eV

a len c eOp erati

ngCo . v. D o rse tt, 164 S . W . 3d 656, 661 ( Tex. 2 0 0 5 ); Credit watch, I nc. v. Ja ckson , 1 5 7 S .W .3 d 8 1 4 , 8 1 6 n .7 (T e x . 2 0 0 5 ). 9 ... See T e x . R . C i v . P . 1 6 6 a (a ), (c); MMP, Ltd. v. Jones , 710 S. W . 2d 59, 6 0 (T e x . 1 9 8 6 ).

10 ... See I

HS Cedar

s Trea tm ent

Ctr. of D eSoto, Tex. , I

nc. v. Mas on , 143 S .W .3 d 7 9 4 , 7 9 8 (T e x . 2 0 0 4 ). 10 d o m a i n . T h e tr i a l co u rtg ran ted the C i ty’s m o ti o n a n d d e n i e d the p rop e rt y ow ner s’ m ot i on and pl eas. The pa rt i espr oce ede d t o t r i alon t he pr ope rt y ow ner s’ obj ec t i onst o t he am oun t s oft he aw ar ds. A ft ert hese t r i al s, t he t r i al courtent er ed f i nal j u d g m e n tsa sto e a c h p ro p e rtyo w n e r’sc o m p e n s a ti o n . T h e p ro p e rtyo w n e rs each appeal ed, and t hi s courtconsol i dat ed t he appeal s. 7 I I . St andar d ofRev i ew W e r evi ew a su m m ary j ud gm en tdenov o. 8Ap l a i n ti ff i s e n ti tl e d to sum m ary j udg m en t on a cause ofact i on i fi tconcl usi vel y pr oves al l essent i al e l e me n t so ft h e c l a i m. 9W hen r evi ew i ng a s um m ary j udgm ent , w e t ak e a s t r ue a ll e v id e n c e f a v o r a b le t o t h e n o n m o v a n t , a n d w ein d u lg ee v e ryre a s o n a b le i n fe re n c e a n d re s o l v e a n yd o u b tsi n th en o n m o v a n t’sfa v o r. 10 W h e n b o th p a rt i e s m o v e for su m m a ry j u d g m e n t a n d th e tr i a l c o u rtg ran ts o n e m o ti o n an d d e n i e s th e o th e r, th erev i e w i n g co u rtsh o u l d rev i e w b o th11 ... See Valenc e Operati ng Co. , 164 S. W . 3d a t661. 12 ... Se eid . 13 ... SeeTe x. L oc . Gov ’ tCod eAnn . § 25 1. 001( a ) ( 5) ( Ver no n 2005) (s ta ti n g th a t a m u n i c i p a l i ty“ m a ye x e rc i s eth er ig h to f e m i n e n t d o m a i n fo r a pub l i c pur pose t o acqui r e publ i c orpr i vat e pr opert y . . . f orany . . . m uni ci pal p u rp o s e th e g o v e rn i n g b o d yc o n s i d e rsa d v i s a b l e ” ). 11 part i es ’ sum m ary j udgm entev i den cean d de t er m i ne al l que st i onspr es ent ed. 11 The r evi ew i ng c ourts houl d r end ert he j udgm entt hatt he t r i alco urts houl d ha ve r end er ed. 12 I I I . T h eP a rt i e s’ A rgu m e n ts T h e p ro p e rtyo w n e rsa l l e g eth a t th ec o n d e m n a t io n a n d th eL e a s e a re unco nst i t ut i onal undersect i on 1 7 o fart i cl e I o fthe T exas C onst i t ut i on becau se t heyr es ul ti n t he gr antofan unl i m i t ed sp ec i al pr i vi l ege t o a pr i vat e e nt i t y a nd t hatt he C i t y’ s act i ons i n cond em n i ng t he pr opert y and execu t i ng t he Lease w er e i n vi ol at i on ofs ec t i on 251. 001 ( a) ( 5) oft he Loc alG ove r nm entCode b e c a u s e n e i th e r a c ti o n w a sfo r a “ p u b l i c p u rp o s e .” 13 S p e c i fi c a l l y , th ep rop e rt y o w n e r sc o n t e n d t h a tt h e c o n d e m n a t io n p r o c e e d in g sw e r en o tf o ra p u b lic p u rpo se b e c a u se “ th e s o l e re a so n [fo r th ec o n d e m n a ti o n p roc e e d i n g s] w a s to l e a se [ th e p rop e rt y ] to the D a l l a s C o w b o y s u n d e r term s th a t d i v e ste d the C i ty o f i ts e x c l u sive u se a n d ri g h t to m a n a g e a n d c o n tr o l th e c o n d e m n e d p rop e rt y f ora sp ec i f i c p eri od ofatl ea stt hi rt y ( 30) ye ar s. ” Theydo n otch al l eng e t he14 ... See, e. g. , Seurea u v. ExxonMobi l Cor p. , No. 14- 07- 00176
- CV , 2008 W L 4 5 8 4 9 6 1 , a t * 2 (T e x . A p p .— H o u s to n [1 4 th D i s t.] O c t. 1 6 , 2 0 0 8 , n o p e t.) ( “Beca use s t and i ng i s a t hr es hol d i ss ue t hati s i m pl i ci ti n t he con ce ptof s u bj e c t-m a tte r ju ri s d i c ti o n , w e fi rs t a d d re s sF a th e r'ss ta n d i n g .” ); Ins . Ne two rk of Tex. v. Kl

oes el, 2 66 S. W . 3d 456, 463 ( Te x. App . — Cor pu sChr i s t i2008 , p e t. d e n i e d ) (sa m e ). 12 am ountoft he con dem nat i on a w ar dso ra sse rtan y i r r egu l ar i t y i n t he cond em nat i on pr oceedi ngs t hem sel ves. I n res p o n se , th e C i ty a ss e rt s th a t t h ep rop e rt yo w n e rs lac ksta n d i n g to cha l l eng e t he con st i t ut i ona l i t y oft he Le ase. Al t er nat i vel y, t he C i t y c ont end s t hatt he con dem nat i on w as f ora publ i c p ur pos e— t o a cqu i r e l and t o bui l d a venue p r oj ectf orpr of essi onal and am at eursport i ng even t s— and t hatt he Lease i s a l aw f ul m ea nsofac com pl i sh i ng t hi s publ i c pur pos e unde r cha pt er 334 oft he L o c a l G o v e rn m e n t C o d e , w h i c h e x p re s s l ya u th o ri z e sm u n i c i p a l i ti e sto a c q u i re l a n d for l e a se as p a rto f a v e n u ep rojec t. IV . A n a ly s is A . St and i ng Befor e w e r each t he m er i t s oft he part i es’ ar gum ent s, w e m ustaddr ess t he thr es hol d i ss ue r ai se d byt he C i t y r ega r di ng s t and i ng. 14S p e c i f i c a l l y , t he C i t y a ss ert s t hatt he pr ope rt y ow ner s l ac k st and i ng t o c hal l eng e t he l ega l i t y of t he Le as e b ec aus e t heyf ai l ed t o show an y pa rt i cul ar i z ed i nj ury r es ul t i ng f r om15 ... See Hunt v. Bass , 6 6 4S .W .2 d 3 2 3 , 3 2 4(T e x . 1 9 8 4 ); Wyly v.

Preservati

on D al l as , 1 6 5 S .W .3 d 4 6 0 , 4 6 4(T e x . A p p .— D a l l a s2 0 0 5 , n o p e t.). 16 ... Se eWyly , 1 6 5 S .W .3 d a t4 6 4(“G e n e ra l l y , to e s ta b l i s h s ta n d i n g , a p la in t if fm u s te s t a b lis h t h a th e h a sa n in d iv id u a l in t e r e s tin a c o n f lic tt h a tis d i s ti n c t fro m th e i n te re s t o f th eg e n e ra l p u b l i c , su c h th a t th ed e f e n d a n t's a c ti o n sh a v e c a u s e d th e p l a i n ti ff p a rti c u l a r i n j u ry .” ).

17 ... SeeTex. C ons t . art . I § 17, i nt er pr et i ve com m ent ary ( “[ T] he l egi sl at i ve br anch m ay del egat e t he pow er t o such agenci e s a s i t bel i eves p ro p e r, su bj e c t, o f c o u rs e , to c o n s ti tu ti o n a l l i m i ta ti o n s .” ). 13 t he Lease t hati s di st i nctf r om t he Lease’ s i m pacton t he gener al publ i c. 15 T h e pr ope rt y ow ner s, how eve r , ar e notm er el y chal l eng i ng t he con st i t ut i ona l i t y of t he Lease; they al so assertthati tw as un const i t ut i onal forthe C i t y t o cond em n th e i r pro p e rt yfor the p u rpo se o f en teri n g i n to the Le a se . T h e se tw o arg u m e n ts ar e i nt ert w i ned . Beca us e t he pr ope rt y ow ner s’ i nt er es t i n t he pr opr i et y oft he pr oce edi ngsco nde m ni ng t hei rpr ope rt y i s unque st i ona bl y di st i nctf r om t he g e n e ral p u b li c ’s , w e h o l d tha t t h ep rop e rt yo w n e rs d o h a v esta n d i n g to cha l l eng e t he con dem nat i onsoft hei rpr ope rt y ba se d on t he t heo ry t hatt he con dem nat i onsw er e f ort he pur pos e o fl ea si ng t he pr ope rt y i n vi ol at i on oft he Texa s C ons t i t ut i on. 16 B. C onde m nat i on The C i t y’ s em i nen tdom ai n pow erde r i vesf r om a gr antofpow erby t he st at e l egi sl at ur e. 17Sec t i on 251. 001 ( a) ( 5) oft he Loc alG ov ernm entCode p ro v i d e sb ro a d a u th o ri tyto th eC i tyt o c o n d e m n p ri v a te p ro p e rty“ fo r a n y. . .18 ... T e x . L o c . G o v ’t C o d eA n n . § 2 5 1 .0 0 1 (a )(5 ). 19 ... T e x . C o n s t. a rt. I § 1 7 (e m p h a s i sa d d e d ); se e W hitti ngton v. City of A us tin , 1 7 4S .W .3 d 8 8 9 , 8 9 6

– 9 7 (T e x . A p p .— A u s ti n 2 0 0 5 , p e t. d e n i e d ).

20 ... T e x . C o n s t. a rt. I § 1 7 , i n te rp re ti v ec o m m e n ta ry ; se e Hawai i Housi ng A u th . v. Mi

d kiff, 467 U. S. 229, 245, 104 S. Ct . 2 32 1, 2331 ( 1984) ( expl ai ni ng t hat“pur el y pr i vat e [ t aki ng] . . . execut ed f orno r eason ot hert han t o c onf era pr i vat e b ene f i ton apa rt i cu l arpr i vat e p art y”w oul d be u n c o n s ti tu ti o n a l ); Phi l l i psv. Naum ann , 154 Te x. 153, 158, 275 S. W . 2d 464, 46 7 ( 19 55 ) ( ho l d i n g uncon st i t ut i onal or derdi r ect i ng op eni ng of r oadw ay b e c a u s e w o u l d b e “ fo r th e u s e o f [o n ep ri v a te p e rs o n ], a n d fo r n o o th e r u s e ” ); seeal soCity of

A r l i ngton v. G olddus tTwi nsRealty Cor

p. , 4 1 F . 3 d 960, 965 ( 5th C i r . 19 94 ) ( i n case i nvol vi ng exer ci se of e m i n e n t do m ai n t o const r uct par ki ng l otf ornew st adi um f or Texas R anger s basebal l t eam , st at i ng t hat pr ope rt y m ay be t ak en t hr ough em i nen tdom ai n w hen “ t her e r es ul t s t o t he publ i c so m e def i ni t e r i ght or us e i n t he bus i nes s or unde rt ak i ng t o w hi ch t he p ro p e rtyi sd e v o te d ” ) (i n te rn a l q u o ta ti o n o m i tte d ).

21 ... See Mah er

v. Lasater, 163 Te x. 356, 359, 354 S. W . 2d 923, 924 (1 9 6 2 ) ( “ [T ]h e u lt im a t e q u e s t io n o fw h e t h e ra p a rt ic u la ru s eis a p u b lic u s e is a j u d i c i a l q u e s ti o n to b e d e c i d e d b yth ec o u rts .” ); W hitti ngton , 17 4 S . W . 3d at 14 m u n i c i p a l p u rp o s e th e g o v e r n in g b o d yc o n s i d e rsa d v i s a b l e .” 18T h isp o w e ris l i m i t e d i n Te xa s by t he r e qu i r e m e nt i n s e c t i on 17 of a rt i c l e I of t he Tex as C o n sti tu ti o n tha t, N o per so n' s pr ope rt y s hal l bet ak en, da m age d orde st r oye d f oror appl i ed t o pub l i c use w i t hou t adequ at e com pensat i on bei ng m ade, u n l e s sb yth e c o n s e n t o f s u c h p e rs o n . . . . 19

“ [I ]fp r iv a t e p r o p e rt yist a k e n f o ra p u r e lyp r iv a t ep u r p o s e , S e c t i o n 1 7 is v i o l a te d .” 20 W het hera part i cul aruse ofpr opert y const i t ut es a publ i c use orpur pose i s a quest i on of l aw t o be deci ded byt he court s. 21 I n de t er m i ni ng t hi s que st i on,89 7. Publ i c use and pu bl i c pur pose ar e essent i al l y synony m ous and ar e oft en

u s e d in te rc h a n g e a b l yi n T e x a sc o n d e m n a ti o n l a w . See Davi s v. City of Lubb ock , 1 6 0 T e x . 3 8 , 5 2 , 3 2 6 S .W .2 d 6 9 9 , 7 0 9 (1 9 5 9 ) ( “ T h ew o r d s‘p u b lic pur pos es ’ ar e n o na r r ow ert han t he w or ds‘ publ i c u se ’ . . . . Si ncew e h ave hel d pr ope rt y i s t ak en f or publ i c us e, i t f ol l ow s t hatt he exp end i t ur e o ff undson th e s a m e p ro j e c t w o u l d b e fo r p u b l i c p u rp o s e s .” ).

22 ... See City of

D al l as v. Hi ggi nbo tham , 135 Te x. 158, 168, 143 S. W . 2d 7 9 , 8 5 (1 9 4 0 ) ( h o ld in g t h a t s t a t ele g is la t u r e“ v a lid lyc o n f e r [s ]” e m in e n td o m a in p o w e r w h e r e “ t h e p u r p o s e s [f o r c o n d e m n a t io n ] [a ]r e a f f e c t e d w it h a p u b lic i n te re s t” ).

23 ... FKM P’

shi p, L td. v. Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Hous ton S ys. , 255 S .W .3 d 6 1 9 , 6 2 9 (T e x . 2 0 0 8 ).

24 ... Tex. Lo ca l G ov ’ tCode Ann. §§ 334 . 001 ( 5) an d 334. 021 ( a) . The L o c a l G o v e rnm e n t C o d e d e fi n e s a “s p o rt s a n d co m m u n i ty v e n u e p ro j e c t” to m ea n “a ven ue and r el at ed i nf r as t r uct ur e t hati s pl ann ed, ac qui r ed, es t abl i sh ed, devel oped , const r uct ed, orr enovated under[ chapter33 4] . ” Id. A c c o rding to t he r es ol ut i onsby w hi ch t he C i t y pr oce ede d agai ns teach pr ope rt y ow ner , t he C i t y i ni t i at ed t he con dem nat i on pr oce edi ngs“ t o a cqu i r e . . . ce rt ai n pa r ce l [ s] of l and f orthe pu r pose ofd evel opi ng t he D al l as C ow boys Pu bl i c V enue C om pl ex 15 h o w e v e r, co u rt s g i v e p res u m p ti v eeffe c t t o l e g i sla tiv e d e c l a rati o n s th a t a st at ut or i l y aut hor i zed use ofpr opert y i s f ora p ubl i c pur pose. 22A st h eS u p r e me C o u rto fT e x a sre c e n t lys t a t e d , “ [T ]h e[le g is la t iv e ] d e t e r m in a t io n o fp u b lic nec essi t y i s pr es um pt i vel y c or r ec t , ab se ntpr oofby t he l and ow neroft he [ cond em ni ng author i t y’ s] f r aud o r p r oof t hatt he cond em ni ng author i t y act ed a rb i tra ri l yo r c a p ri c i o u s l y .” 23 I n t hi sca s e , t heC i t y pr e di c a t e d t heco nd e m na t i on a c t i on so n c ha pt e r334 oft he Loc alG ove r nm entCode, w hi ch aut hor i z est he C i t y t o pl an and de vel op a “ s p o rtsa n d c o m m u n i tyv e n u ep roj e c t.” 24Sect i on 3 34 . 04 4( a) decl ar es t hatP ro j e c t fo r u s e a sa p u b l i c v e n u e .” 25 ... Id. § 3 3 4 .0 4 4 (a ). 26 ... Se e F

KMP ’ship , 2 5 5 S .W .3 d a t 6 2 9 ; see al so Coastal

I ndus. W

ater A u th . v. Cel

an es e Co r

p . o f Am. , 5 92 S. W . 2d 597, 600 ( Tex. 1979 ) ( “I n t he abs enc e o fal l ega t i onst hatt he con dem norac t ed arbi t r ar i l y orunj us t l y, t he le g is la t u r e ’s d e c la r a t io n t h a ta s p e c if ic e x e r c is eo fe m in e n td o m a in isf o rp u b lic u s e i sc o n c l u s i v e .” ). 16 “ a n a p p ro v e d v e n u e p ro j e c t i so w n e d , u s e d , a n d h e l d fo r pub l i c pur posesby t he m u n i c i p a l i t yo rc o u n ty .” 25Thu s, i n t he absence ofpr oof t hatt he C i t y act ed fra u d u l e n tl y , a rb i tra ri l y , o r c a p ri c i o u s l y , w em u s t p re s u m eth a t th el e g i s l a tu re ’s d e c l a ra ti o n i n C h a p te r 3 3 4 th a t s u c h a s p o rts v e n u e p roj e c t i s fo r a p u b lic p u rpo se i s c o rr e c t. 26 Th e pr opert y ow ner s have pr esent ed no evi dence t hatt he C i t y act ed f r aud ul ent l y, ar bi t r ar i l y, orca pr i ci ous l y i n c onde m ni ng t hei rpr ope rt y or exe cut i ng t he Le as e. Nevert hel es s, t he pr ope rt y ow ner s con t end t hatt he sport s venue pr oj ect i n t hi s case i s notf ora publ i c pur pose because t he Lease gr ant s t he D al l asCow boys“ exc l us i ve us e a nd r i ghtt o m ana ge and co nt r ol t he c o n d e m n e d p ro p e rtyfo r . . . a t l e a s t th i rty(3 0 ) y e a rs .” U n q u e sti o n a b l y , th e D a l l a s C o w b o y s s tan d to re a p s u b s ta n ti a l b e n e fi ts f r o m t h e p r o je c t , in c lu d in g t h e L e a s e . T h em e r ef a c tt h a ta p r iv a t ea c t o rw ill b e n e fi t fro m a ta k i n g o f p ro p e rtyfo r p u b l i c u s e , h o w e v e r, d o e sn o t tra n s fo rm27 ... Se e Co a sta l S tates Ga s Produ ci ngCo . v. Pa te , 158 Te x. 171, 179, 30 9 S . W . 2d 82 8, 83 3 (1 9 5 8 ) ( hol di ng t hatf actt hat“[ pr i vat e] l essee m ay m a k e a p rofi t ou t of th e v e n tu re . . . in it s e lf d o e s n o t m a k ethe u se p ri v a te ra th e r th a n p u b l i c ” ); see al so S tate v. Unifi

e d G o v ’t

o f Wya n do tte Coun ty/ Kansas City, Kansas , 9 62 P. 2d 54 3, 55 4 ( K an. 19 98 ) ( hol di ng t hat “ d e v e lo p m e n to f[a n ] a u t o ra c e t r a c kf a c ilit ya n d re la t e d p r o je c t sa r ev a lid p u b lic p u rp o s e sfo r w h i c h . . . e m i n e n t d o m a i n a u th o ri ty[m a yb e ] e x e rc i s e d ” ); L i b erta ri anPa rty o f W

i s. v. S tate , 5 4 6 N .W .2 d 4 2 4 , 4 3 5 (W is . 1 9 9 6 ) ( “ W h ile so m e pr i vat e b ene f i t[ t o a pr of es si ona l ba se bal l t ea m ] w i l l r es ul t[ f r om const r uct i on and oper at i on of pr of essi onal basebal l par k f aci l i t i es] , t he pr oj ect i ss u fficie n tl yp u b l i c i n n a tu reto w i th s ta n d c o n s ti tu ti o n a l c h a l l e n g e .” ); Rags da le v. Cityo f

Memp his , 7 0 S .W .3 d 5 6 , 7 2 (T e n n . C t. A p p . 2 0 0 1 ) (“A l th o u g h . . . t her e w i l l bes om e b ene f i tac cr ui ng t o [ an] N BA f r anc hi se [by ci t y’ s f i nan ci ng and con st r uct i on of sport s ar ena] , i fa publ i c pur pose i s e stabl i shed, t he f act t hata pr i vat e e nt i t y m ay r ec ei ve so m e b ene f i tfr om the l egi sl at i on do esnot i n v a l i d a te th e e s ta b l i s h e d p u b l i c p u rp o s e .” ); Schrei ner v. City of

Spokane , 874 P .2 d 8 8 3 , 8 8 7 ( W a sh . C t. A p p . 1 9 9 4 ) (ho l d in g tha t C i ty w a s a u th o ri ze d to cond em n, t hen l ease, l and f or m ul t i - pur pose com m uni t y cent er , w hi ch i ncl uded s p o rtsa re n a ). Se eg en era lly , A a ro n M e n s h , “Upon Further Revi ew ”:W hy a Sports Stadi

um Can Jus tify an Em i nen tD om ai

n Taki ng , 40 Con n. L . Re v. 1623 , 1 6 5 3 (2 0 0 8 ) (i d e n ti fy i n g n u m e ro u s p u b l i c p u rp o s e s fo r s ta d i u m s . Bu t se eCity of Sp r i ngfi eld v. D rei

son I nvs. , Nos . 1999 1318, 991230 , 0 00 014, 2000W L 782 971 , at*1, *50 ( M as s. Super . Ct. , F eb. 25, 2000 ) ( unde runi que M as sa chu se tt s l aw , r ej ec t i ng us e o fem i nen tdom ai n f orpur pos e o f c o n s tru c ti o n o f m i n o r l e a g u e b a s e b a l l s ta d i u m ).

28 ... See G oldstei

n v. Pataki, 5 1 6 F .3 d 5 0 , 6 4(2 d C ir . 2 0 0 8 ), c ert. denied, 1 2 8 S . C t. 2 9 6 4 (2 0 0 8 ) (u p h o l d i n g u s e o f e m i n e n t d o m a in w h e re c o n d e m n a t io n , a m o n g o t h e rt h in g s , w ill “ r e s u ltin t h ec o n s t r u c t io n o fa p u b lic ly o w n e d (a l b e i t g e n e ro u s l yl e a s e d ) st a d i u m ” ). 17 t he pur pose oft he t aki ng of t he pr opert y, or t he m eans used t o i m pl em entt hat pur pose, f r om a publ i c t o a pr i vat e use. 27 The qu es t i on he r e i s notw het hert he D al l asCow boysw i l l be nef i tf r om t he Lease, 28 b u t w het hert he Lease f urt her s and pr om ot es t he pub l i c pur pose29 ... See Coastal States , 158 T ex . at179, 309 S . W . 2d at833 ( hol di ng t hatpubl i c p ur pos e i s adv anc ed w hen “ t he pu bl i c hasa di r ec t , t ang i bl e a nd s u b s ta n ti a l i n te re s t a n d ri g h t i n th eu n d e rta k i n g ” ); see al soT e x . C o n s t. a rt . I § 17, i nt er pr et i ve com m ent ary ( not i ng t hatco urt s do no ti nt erf er e w i t h l egi sl at i ve dec l ar at i on ofpubl i c p ur pos e w her e “ t he l egi sl at ur e c oul d r ea so nab l y ha ve c o n s i d e re d th e u s e a p u b l i c o n e ” ).

30 ... T h e c a s eo n w h i c h th ep ro p e rtyo w n e rsp ri m a ri l yre l y , River Rd. Nei ghb o rho o d

A ss ’n v. S. Tex . Sp o rts , 72 0 S . W . 2d 5 5 1 (T ex. A pp. — S an A nt oni o 1986, w r i tdi sm ’ d) , i s i nap pos i t e. I tdoe s noti nvol ve t he exe r ci seof em i nent dom ai n pow erby a m uni ci pal i t y and, unl i ke t he sport s venue pr oj ect ati ss ue her e, t her e w asno i ndi ca t i on i n River Ro ad t hatt he st adi um l ease w as p a rt o f a p ro j e c t th a t th e le g i s l a tu red e c l a re d t o b ef o r p u b l i c p u rp o s e . SeeTex. L o c . G o v ’t C o d e A n n . § 3 3 4 .0 4 4 (a ). 18 oft he ven ue pr oj ec tf orw hi ch t he cond em nat i on pr oce edi ngsw er e i ns t i t ut ed. 29 W e h o ld t h a ti td o e s . T h e C it y ’s s u m m a ryju d g m e n te v id e n c ec o n c lu s iv e ly est abl i shes t ha t th e Lease w i l l f urt hert he pr oj ect ’ s publ i c pur pose. W e, t her ef or e, hol d t hatunde rt he f ac t s oft hi s ca se , t he Le as e a ti ss ue doe s not serve a pur el y pr i vat e p ur pose i n vi ol at i on of sect i on 1 7 o fart i cl e I oft he T exas C ons t i t ut i on. 30 V . Concl us i on Beca us e w e h ol d t hatt he C i t y e st abl i sh ed, a s a m att erofl aw , t hatt he con dem nat i on pr oce edi ngsan d l ea se w er e f ora publ i c p ur pos e, w e a f f i r m t he t r i al court ’ s j udg m ent s. J OHN CAYCE CHI E FJ UST I CE PA N EL: CA YC E, C. J. ; G A RD N ER and M C C O Y, JJ. DEL I VERE D: F e br ua ry 19, 2009