State Supreme Court Upholds Land Seizure for Clinton Library
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It looks like former President Clinton will get to build his library right where he wants it.
The Arkansas Supreme Court, in a 6-0 decision on Thursday, eliminated the last legal roadblock to construction of the Clinton Presidential Library by upholding Little Rock's method of seizing land for it.
It ruled Eugene Pfeifer III, who owned three acres of the proposed 28-acre library site, failed to prove that the $200 million complex on the south bank of the Arkansas River did not meet the state's definition of a park.
"I'm shocked," Pfeifer said. "This is truly disappointing news."
Pfeifer appealed to the state Supreme Court after a Pulaski County judge last November rejected his claim that the project did not meet the park definition, the premise on which the city claimed his property under the right of eminent domain.
The head of the Clinton Presidential Foundation said the dispute over Pfeifer's three acres was the only problem delaying construction.
A decision against the city of Little Rock could have forced the ex-president to find another location for his planned academic center and museum. Last year, his foundation released sketches of the complex and a site plan.
Until the city claimed eminent domain, Pfeifer owned the land in an old warehouse district near the city's thriving River Market district.
The developer has said he supported the library, just not where Clinton wanted to build it.
Pfeifer, who also owns a lumber and building materials business, said his fight with the city was prompted over how it financed the purchase of the property.
The city sold $11.5 million in bonds to buy the library site and to repay pledged revenues from city parks and the zoo, which had just lost its license and accreditation.
"Our city could not afford to pay for this project. The foundation could have financed it by raising the money privately," Pfeifer said. "Had I won, I would have gladly allowed the foundation to buy my land for the appraised value that the city had offered me, if they had returned all or most or some of the money to the city."
Pfeifer rejected a $400,000 offer for his property because of his opposition to the method of financing.
Clinton hand-picked the site after reviewing suggestions from places around in and out of Arkansas. The ex-president was governor here for 12 years and also lived at Hope, Hot Springs and Fayetteville.
Foundation president Skip Rutherford said last week that a favorable ruling could bring about a groundbreaking by year's end. Rutherford was not in his office Thursday morning and did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The high court ruled Thursday that Pfeifer "... failed to meet proof with proof that the city's proposal for such a complex could not meet the definition of a 'park."'
The foundation's proposal includes an academic and museum complex surrounded by a park that would feature native Arkansas trees, a 2,500-seat amphitheater, urban fishing grounds and a pedestrian walk linking the complex to downtown Little Rock along President Clinton Avenue.
Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber, a distant relative of former president Bill Clinton, abstained from Thursday's decision.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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