WSJ: We’re from the Government and we’re here to build a bike path

From the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall so below is just a snippet):

. . . The practice of government taking land for recreational uses—typically bike lanes, hiking paths and fashionable “rail trails” and “greenways”—is spreading across the country, marking a sharp and troubling expansion of eminent domain. The Takings Clause of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment grants government the authority to seize property to be used for the public good, as long as government pays “just compensation” to the owner. Over the years, the Supreme Court has consistently expanded what is considered a “public good” to justify government seizures. . .

Meanwhile, cities and towns across America have in recent years developed an appetite for different types of lengthy, sometimes intrusive hiking and bike paths. . .

[As] local governments, park systems and state agencies become bolder about seizing property for recreational use, don’t be surprised if the next eminent-domain case with national significance involves a bike path in your backyard.