Sure they do. But they've had a plan as to what they are going to do with the real estate
that is being leveled, ie auto plant.

Not necessarily. I don't recall the name of the project, but, a few years ago, one of the local TV stations did a piece about how the city bought up all the properties in a particular area, and cleared everything out, to bare dirt, ready for "JCs" to move in and redevelop the area...but the "JCs", for the most part, never showed up.

Implementation of "eminent domain" can vary from state to state too. There was a case, maybe around Boston, some years ago, about the propriety of the state using eminent domain to take property, for the benefit of a private, for profit, corporation, when, iirc, the Constitution specifies the power is only to be used for "public use". Clearly, that is not a concern in Michigan. Seems I have read that Texas is much like Michigan, in that respect. If an oil company wants to put a pipeline through your back yard, you have no chance of stopping it, because the state will take the company's side.

Is there a federal law similar to Michigan's "civil forfeiture"? If there is, then the Feds could seize property, just because an illegal or criminal was using the property. No "legal due process" required.

Steve