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Would probably fall under Corrupt Corporate Executive.
Not exactly what I had in mind. That trope is a case of an invididual in the corporation or a boss.
The example I was citing is where the individual is the corporation, they don't answer to anyone but themselves. Sure, they may hire contractors for the actual construction, who are no doubt unaware of how exactly the property they are developing is acquired, but they weren't involved in the underhanded scheming that took place before their work started.
Real Estate Scam covers the underhanded and illegal methods, at least. May be related to Railroad Plot (where something gets in the way of their grand structure).
Real Estate Scam is the one I was looking for. Thank you.
Looking for this trope.
The kind of person whose career is building grand structures. They buy natural paradises, exclaim how wonderful it is, then in the next sentence announce their plan to cut down all the trees to build their grand design. If done in an urban setting, they buy up all the houses where they want their construction, then tear them down to get an empty construction site. They're not above underhanded and often illegal methods to get what they want, including bribery, intimidation and even sabotaging the properties in question so they're uninhabitable. Or getting the properties certified as such and having the owners evicted.