Starting from the reign of Francis I, the castle and its grounds were entrusted by the king to some of his close associates, either by way of favour (" don pour un temps " - "gift for a time"), or by conditional sale with option of repurchase (" l'engagement ").

The proposed amendment also would create a disincentive for a property owner to negotiate a deal with a governmental entity because the option of repurchase is only available to a property owner whose property was condemned by eminent domain, not to an owner who negotiated a deal with the governmental entity in a voluntary transaction.

Siston was sold before his death to satisfy his creditors, but with a right of repurchase for £2,200.

In 2001, Ralph Horowitz, a partner in the former property owner Alameda-Barbara sued the City for breach of contract, for failure to honor the original right of repurchase.