Brentwood lawsuit to test Missouris eminent domain law [Video]

BRENTWOOD, Mo. – Some small businesses are suing the City of Brentwood after they’ve declared the business’ property as blighted. That designation opens the door to eminent domain, an important step in the city’s $436 million redevelopment plan for Manchester Road.

Time for Dinner has fed families in Brentwood for 20 years.

“What we do is help you get good meals on the table,” Amy Stanford, who owns Time for Dinner with her sister, said.

She worries about how much longer they will be at their location on Manchester Road in Brentwood.

“It’s just terrifying to think that we might have to move, plus everybody knows where we are,” Stanford said.

Time for Dinner is one of 75 properties along a stretch of Manchester Road between Mary Avenue and Hanley Road that the city has declared blighted. Once blighted, the city can use eminent domain to take ownership of the …