There's a mindset behind Kelo, which probably explains the ideological rift on the Supreme Court. This quote from an AP story on Kelo:
Municipal and development officials say they're being unfairly cast as greedy land grabbers. Taking property isn't pleasant, they say, but sometimes it is the only way to spur development in cities struggling to pay bills.You see, the problem is that they've shut down normal private development with committees, commissions, lawsuits, micro-zoning, conditional use permits, environmental imapct reports, wetlands regulations and other forms of red tape. Increasingly, only the government-connected can afford to develop, as the uncertainty of the process drives the risk up for everyone else.
"The only way we can stay alive is to grow and revitalize," said Richard Monteilh, city administrator in Newark, N.J.