Government trying to take my sister's house!

[enyawd72]

My sister and her husband own a house on 27 wooded acres that sits next to the county airport. The FAA approached them several months ago wanting to clear a bunch of their land for what they called safety concerns, but now they're talking expansion and imminent domain. They're meeting with lawyers this morning.

That is just messed up.

[Mikey]

Same thing happened in my area back in the 70's

They even made a documentary about it .. (trailer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3CYFTkh__A

m

[madmarva]

Imminent domain sucks for the private land owner.

[enyawd72]

The really bad thing is, they bought it before the housing bust, so the market value now may be less than what they owe on it, which means not only will it not be paid off, but they will have zero money for a new house.

[Bronxboykev]

It's not the 1700 and 1800's... Imminent Domaine my *****... They didn't get a break when they paid the over inflated price when they bought it... They shouldnt be penalized now. The airport and Government wants it then they need to pay what your sister wants for it or move on. The Airport got along all these years without the land an extra 27 acres isnt going to kill their business.
I'm gonna go leave and count to 100 and come back or i'm gonna get banned for saying what I really want

[enyawd72]

Land of the free right? Don't believe it for a second. Uncle Sam has all of us on a leash, and he decides how long that leash is.

She was going to call me the minute she got out of this meeting, which started at 9:30, so they've been at it for three hours. This can't be good.

[wayne foundation 07]

Best of luck to her buddy, its tough to fight the government . I watch a whole road of houses loose there front yard when the widened the road on my way to work. The houses now just about sit right on the road.

[batmanrocks]

It totally sucks and I wish your sister the best but if they do imminent domain there really isn't anything they can do

[Rallygirl]

We are getting a new highway half a mile from our once very secluded, county home. Think we need a new highway? The reason we are getting one is because the closest town on the Lake Michigan shore thinks traffic is ruining their quiet, resort town. So let's ruin my quiet, country home by shoving a highway bypass down our throats ten miles away.

I am the township historian, so it is my job to document from start to finish. Even way out here in the sticks, forty-one people have lost their property to imminent domain and there were thirty-four houses on those parcels. Five were moved, five were burned for township fire practice and twenty-four were demolished. I personally know most of these people who lost their homes. And the same thing happened here - the state waited until housing prices were in the toilet to buy up the land. Then land prices shot up. Many of these people cannot afford to buy another home with the prices they got, even at 125%. Having a lawyer guaranteed that they at least got enough to pay off what they owed, but nothing more.

But wait, it gets even better! I think many of you have heard me talk about how far out in the country we are. We are more than ten miles from any of the surrounding very small towns. Not any more. JUst last week, Walmart just bought forty acres two miles away from our house. Ed and I are in our mid forty's and now we have to look at the prospect of selling everything and moving. We bought land way out here specifically to be secluded. We have almost fifty acres and a private airfield and don't want to leave all that, but we absolutely will not live two miles from a Walmart.

[mego73]

Ever since the Kelo decision ED powers have been greatly expanded. It stinks.

[Random Axe]

Something like that happened here locally. A neighborhood across the street from a shopping center I was working in was purchased/acquired/stolen for a center expansion. I think it was 30 plus homes bought out, and for pretty darn good prices since they were older homes. However, one owner didn't play along and was literally the only house standing in this field of debris of demolished houses. It stood there, no shat, for three years while they fought it in court, one lonely house in what looked like ground zero from a neutron bomb. This was in 2003, and they just built the center with a hotel last spiring. I have no idea how it ended up for the holdouts, though or if they ever got paid enough money to leave or if they were forcibly removed.

[thunderbolt]

^^^ That's going to happen to my 'hood eventually. We are living in the shadow of LEGOLAND, and can't wait for someone to roll up with a nice fat check.

[Rallygirl]

So what happened in the meeting?

My sister and her husband own a house on 27 wooded acres that sits next to the county airport. The FAA approached them several months ago wanting to clear a bunch of their land for what they called safety concerns, but now they're talking expansion and imminent domain. They're meeting with lawyers this morning.

That is just messed up.

[enyawd72]

So what happened in the meeting?

Nothing...the FAA is still "deciding" what they wanna do. Nice to leave them hanging like that. I feel so bad for them...they're just a couple basket cases with worry right now.

[Rallygirl]

They just need to make sure they have excellent lawyers. It may not save their house, but it will make a difference how much they get for it. Some of the first people who were bought out for the new highway here didn't have enough for a new house. Those being bought out later saw what happened and got lawyers who specialized in eminent domain law. Some of those folks received three times as much.

Nothing...the FAA is still "deciding" what they wanna do. Nice to leave them hanging like that. I feel so bad for them...they're just a couple basket cases with worry right now.