Landowners in Greensboro and Guilford County have been waiting decades for North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) officials to move forward on the Greensboro Urban Loop project. Much of the Greensboro Loop was designated for future highway development using the Transportation Corridor Official Map Act (NC Gen. Stat. Chapter 136, Article 2E). This Act allows the NC DOT and other condemning authorities to prevent further building permits, new structures, and other developments that might affect the project. The route for the Loop has been well known for many years, and owners have simply been waiting for some movement by the State to actually make the Loop a reality.
Over the years, NC DOT has been slowly acquiring property for the Loop from local landowners, many of whom wound up taking far below market value because of financial hardship, or because the NC DOT acquisitions have negatively impacted the quality of their neighborhood. In the second half of 2012, NC DOT announced that it would be moving forward to acquire the remaining properties in the path of the Loop. Many owners of homes and businesses received letters from NC DOT and its sub-contracted Right of Way Agents throughout the fall of 2012, stating that offers would be made within 90 days. Not surprisingly, the offers were delayed and many land owners have been left to wonder when NC DOT would make them an offer.
Since then, NC DOT has been conducting surveys, marking the path of the road and the right of way. Many property owners might be familiar with wooden stakes that are marked with white paint and flagging that indicates the boundary of the future taking. We can now confirm that NC DOT and its Right of Way agents are actively conducting appraisals and making offers in the Eastern Segment of the Greensboro Urban Loop, known by the NC DOT Project Number as U-2525B. Construction on this portion of the project is planned to begin in 2014. We know that appraisal activitiy has been ongoing especially in the Huffine Mill Road area, as welll as in the Highway 29 section where the Loop will require a large interchange.
We can also confirm that NC DOT has been rather active in its acquisition activities in the project’s Western Segments. The section that will connect Bryan Boulevard to US 220 / Battleground Avenue is actually slated to begin construction in late 2013, although the right of way acquisitions have not been quite as active in the last few weeks and months. Still, we are aware of considerable activity on the ground in these neighborhoods, and land owners should not be surprised to hear from the NC DOT or its right of way agent this spring.
Sever Walker Padgitt is actively working with and representing clients in Greensboro and Guiford County who are going to be forced to give up their land to the NC DOT through eminent domain to may way for the Greensboro Loop. We recently conducted two public informational seminars for members of the community, and we are happy to provide a free consultation to any land owner who has been contacted by NC DOT, its Right of Way agents, and especially for landowners who have received an offer from DOT.
REMEMBER: Just because NC DOT makes you an offer for your property, you do not have to accept it! You should consult with the experienced eminent domain attorneys at Sever Walker Padgitt before making any decisions. There is no charge, and we can explain your options and the potential value of the property you are being asked to sell. Don’t settle for less than your land is worth or for less than the just compensation that the law allows you to recover.
Email or call our North Carolina office to discuss your case.
Shiloh Daum, North Carolina Eminent Domain Attorney
