A few months back, STRIDE (www.stride-mn.org) members voiced concerns that the mostly low income and minority home owners who will be displaced by the so-called "Access Project" would not be likely to receive fair market value for their homes. In response, Smith Parker staff pitched arguments that MNDoT is required by state law to provide fair compensation, etc., and other Access Project supporters found it necessary to accuse "leftists at STRIDE" of being "against the market economy". (If STRIDE is leftist, does that make the PAC fascist?)
Fortunately we do not have to rely exclusively on PAC & Smith Parker for information. Yesterday's article in the Star Tribune supports STRIDE's argument. Examples in the article occurred in the metro as well as in the rural areas. Here is the link to the Strib article: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4109734.html Notable quotes from the article: For years, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has taken private land for road projects and offered the owners substantially less than the land was worth. Many times, MnDOT did so while concealing information suggesting that the land was worth far more. Outraged property owners say these "low-ball" offers have compelled them to spend thousands of dollars to get their own appraisals, hire attorneys and fight for a fair price for land they didn't even want to sell. **** Property owners say the high cost of fighting has forced many of them to settle for less than they deserve. And some who eventually recover what the land is worth still come out behind, financially. That's because unlike many other states, Minnesota doesn't reimburse them for their legal expenses. The Star Tribune analyzed MnDOT's computer records covering more than 1,200 cases since the late 1980s in which disagreements over land value were decided by court-appointed commissions. In two-thirds of those cases, the commission determined that property owners deserved at least 20 percent more money than MnDOT first offered. In a third of the cases, the award was at least double. ***** Still, MnDOT's data show that the appraisals it selected usually were below the amounts deemed fair by commissioners. The amount commissioners awarded land owners between 1998 and 2003 was 66 percent higher than MnDOT's appraisals. That didn't surprise Walter Carpenter, a former president of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board who has lost several pieces of property to MnDOT. He said he believes appraisers know what MnDOT expects -- "40 or 50 percent of market value" -- and they often produce it. David Piehl Central __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
