Govts think thrice before taking over land as it becomes an election issue especially in a highly dense urban setting.

That's usually pretty hard. I guess it depends on your city. But imminent domain can take decades if done with a lot of community backlash.

Not trying to nitpick, but just a heads-up that the term is " eminent domain" (I know it's a pet-peeve when people don't correct me if I'm saying something wrong, but feel free to ignore me if you don't care).

Haha darn, I thought it was but I played it safe and just copied the parent comment.

nitpicking, when done respectfully (as you have), makes HN better.