Eugene B. Jacobs, an expert in redevelopment law who helped California cities use the powerful tool to transform blighted neighborhoods into vibrant pieces of the urban fabric, died Nov. 25 at a hospital in Provo, Utah. He was 84.
The cause of death was believed to be respiratory failure, his son Douglas Jacobs said.
In a legal career that spanned nearly 60 years, Jacobs, through his law firm, counseled or represented 80 cities and helped write many of the documents commonly used in redevelopment transactions. He also helped draft a bill recodifying California redevelopment law and a bill that created the California Department of Housing and Community Development and a related commission.
Though California's key redevelopment law preceded Jacobs -- it was created in 1945 -- he played a significant role in early cases that determined how the law would be interpreted and practiced in California. He is known by some as the "father of redevelopment law."
"It's probably safe to say if some of those early actions and defenses by Gene had gone the other way, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing today in terms of revitalizing communities," said John Shirey, executive director of the California Redevelopment Assn.
Though not widely known to the general public, Jacobs shaped the landscape of communities throughout the state. New shopping districts, revitalized downtowns and the creation of low-income housing can be traced to his work. Because California is considered a model for redevelopment law, his influence extends far beyond the state's borders, Shirey said.
In post-World War II California, when Jacobs began his redevelopment work, cities faced hard times. Beginning with the Great Depression and through the war years, there had been little investment in urban core areas.
"The suburbs were beginning to boom, and downtowns were losing both middle-class population and major retailing," said Joe Coomes, a Sacramento-based redevelopment attorney and a longtime friend of Jacobs who has worked in the field since the 1960s.
Redevelopment law offers local governments a way to eliminate blight in designated areas and stimulate economic development by attracting private investment. The laws allow municipalities to assemble land for development and use the additional property tax revenue the projects generate to finance bonds issued to improve the area and create affordable housing. A controversial element of redevelopment is eminent domain, under which governments may force individual property owners to sell.
