In Middle Township, Cape May County, a South Jersey woman is fighting the township’s effort to take her land through eminent domain so a private developer can build hundreds of new homes.
Dawn Robinson owns three small vacant lots totaling about 2.4 acres in the Whitesboro area. She purchased the land from the township more than two decades ago and says she has no intention of selling. The township filed a condemnation action to acquire the property as part of assembling land for a 340-unit residential project by Ryan Homes, a national homebuilder.
Robinson wants to keep the land for her family or expand her catering and bakery business. She argues the township could build around her property and that using eminent domain here primarily benefits a private company rather than serving a clear public purpose. She has also called the offered compensation of around $47,000 too low.
“The land is already paid for. If I wanted to sell, I would have had a ‘for sale’ sign on it. I’m not being rude, I don’t want to sell. I want to keep it for my kids.”
Middle Township has spent years assembling roughly 225 acres in the area for redevelopment. Most parcels were acquired through voluntary sales, with a few taken through eminent domain to resolve title issues. Officials say the overall project will deliver needed housing, including affordable units, while generating millions in revenue for the township. They describe the remaining lots as vacant and not buildable on their own, and maintain that they followed state rules and offered fair market value based on independent appraisals.
The case has been moving through the courts. A show-cause hearing was postponed to July 1, 2026. As of mid-July, Robinson has entered mediation in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
This fight highlights ongoing tensions in New Jersey between individual property rights and local governments’ use of eminent domain for redevelopment projects that ultimately transfer land to private developers. Even when the stated goals include housing and tax revenue, owners like Robinson argue the process can feel like an overreach when the land was bought directly from the township years earlier.
Whether mediation succeeds or the case continues in court, the outcome will be watched by property owners across South Jersey who worry about similar actions in their own towns.
Have thoughts on this case or eminent domain in New Jersey? Share them in the comments. I’ll post updates as the story develops.
Sources:
- WHYY: “South Jersey woman contesting eminent domain seizure of her property” (May 4, 2026) https://whyy.org/articles/eminent-domain-new-jersey-middle-township/
- Cape May County Herald and Middle Township official updates (May–July 2026)
Based on public reports as of July 16, 2026. The case is ongoing.