The Virginian-Pilot has reported that a Norfolk circuit judge has ruled in favor of the city's Redevelopment and Housing Authority to purchase several properties along Hampton Boulevard. The authority plans to clear the land and use it for the next phase of the mixed-use project, University Village.

However, the current property owners are slated to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court claiming the city is using outdated laws to purchase the property.

"A circuit judge has cleared the way for the city's Redevelopment and Housing Authority to buy a handful of properties along Hampton Boulevard, agreeing with the agency that the area between 38th and 41st streets is still blighted.

Property owners there tried to block the authority from using eminent domain to take their land, saying redevelopment in recent years has improved the neighborhood so much that it no longer meets the state's definition of a troubled area."

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