Illinois Code § 2.13

§ 2.13.

(a) The Authority may take and acquire possession by eminent domain of any property or interest in property which the Authority is authorized to acquire under this Act. The power of eminent domain may be exercised by ordinance of the Authority, and shall extend to all types of interests in property, both real and personal (including without limitation easements for access purposes to and rights of concurrent usage of existing or planned public transportation facilities), whether or not the property is public property or is devoted to public use and whether or not the property is owned or held by a public transportation agency, except as specifically limited by this Act. (b) The Authority shall exercise the power of eminent domain granted in this Section in the manner provided for the exercise of the right of eminent domain under the Eminent Domain Act, except that the Authority may not exercise the authority provided in Article 20 of the Eminent Domain Act (quick-take procedure) providing for immediate possession in such proceedings, and except that those provisions of Section 10-5-10 of the Eminent Domain Act requiring prior approval of the Illinois Commerce Commission in certain instances shall apply to eminent domain proceedings by the Authority only as to any taking or damaging by the Authority of any real property of a railroad not used for public transportation or of any real property of other public utilities. (c) The Authority may exercise the right of eminent domain to acquire public property only upon the concurrence of 2/3 of the then Directors. In any proceeding for the taking of public property by the Authority through the exercise of the power of eminent domain the venue shall be in the Circuit Court of the county in which the property is located. The right of eminent domain may be exercised over property used for public park purposes, for State Forest purposes or for forest preserve purposes only upon a written finding adopted by concurrence of 2/3 of the then Directors, after public hearing and a written study done for the Authority, that such taking is necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act, that no feasible alternatives to such taking exist, and that the advantages to the public from such taking exceed the disadvantages to the public of doing so. In any proceeding for the exercise of the right of eminent domain for the taking by the Authority of property used for public park, State forest, or forest preserve purposes, the court shall not order the taking of such property unless it has reviewed and concurred in the findings required of the Authority by this paragraph. No property dedicated as a nature preserve pursuant to the "Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act", as now or hereafter amended, may be acquired in eminent domain by the Authority. (Source: P.A. 94-1055, eff. 1-1-07.)