Supreme Court takes on builder cases. (possible expansion of private property rights, PFZ Properties v. Rodriguez, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, Yee v. Escondido, Nordlinger v. Hahn)

In the closing months of last year, the Supreme Court moved swiftly to put four pivotal builder cases on the docket, leading some attorneys to speculate that 1992 could turn out to be a landmark year in land-use and development law.

Taken together, the four cases may signal the Supreme Court's readiness to expand private-property rights and narrow the reach of rent control and similar local real-estate restrictions. "Nineteen ninety-two is going to be a big year," says NAHB legal department director Bill Ethier.

Topping the list is PFZ Properties v. Rodriguez, where the builder claims the Puerto Rican government violated a 1983 civil rights act and his right …