railroad

Bad Decision Reversal for Johnson County

The CSX Carolina Connector is a railway company looking to build a major rail terminal in Johnson County. The private company is threatening to use the power of Eminent Domain to take land from county residents, claiming a “greater good.” Including the “greater good” of making lots of money for CSX.

We see this kind of thing in our law practice all the time. Clients call us to ask if it is legal for a private company to claim Eminent Domain. Sadly, it is possible, for a small group of companies…including railroad companies.

In January 2016, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, after hearing from homeowners, reversed a previous decision and issued this statement:

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners does not support plans for CCX at the footprint the project’s advocates had envisioned. The board continues to believe that CCX represents economic development opportunities for Eastern North Carolina, including Johnston County, and hopes that alternative sites can be identified that reconciles the project’s location needs with the desires of property owners that are willing to sell their land.

Now, according to an article from the Triangle Business Journal, the Board has reversed its reversal. It is all in favor of ripping private land away from residents and handing it over to the railway company.

This most recent decision might make some people wonder exactly how many off-line conversations the Board of Commissioners had with CSX officials before this mysterious, closed-door (and again, off-line) meeting and vote. Residents are against this mammoth, land-eating project. What would it take for commissioners to reverse their previous, much more popular decision? We would like to know…would you?

Henson Fuerst sides with the homeowners. We fight for the rights of landowners to keep their property, and if eminent domain moves forward, we fight to help homeowners get fair compensation for their land.

For more information about Eminent Domain, visit our website at:  https://www.nclandlawyer.com/who-can-condemn-my-property/

If your land or home is being threatened, contact us for more information about what steps can be taken. Call us anytime at (919) 781-1107, or visit our website at nclandlawyer.com.