BOSTON -- Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is threatening to rescind the permits of the stalled Filene's redevelopment project at Downtown Crossing and possibly take the property by eminent domain.

The move comes after one of the developers of the $700 million project suggested the delay is deliberate -- an attempt to get more money from the city.

During a speech last week at Columbia University, the chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, Steven Roth, told the audience that allowing a site to become an eyesore sometimes prompts cities to offer more lucrative development incentives, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Roth reportedly talked about how he'd used a similar tactic on a project in New York.

Menino wrote a letter to Roth describing the tactic as "reprehensible," and saying, “Admitting that you embraced a deliberate policy of long-term blight, at a major commercial location in New York City, exhibits a callous disregard for the well-being of the city and its people.”

The developers have not responded to a letter from Menino. In the past, they've said they've been unable to borrow enough money to finish the job.