Looks to me like the bad move was p. poor planning. Announce and then demand the sale of houses and farm land and businesses? Hell, do a little homework first. That railway runs parallel to I95 and this is the only land it would work on? Come on now. There's more woods and open land in Johnston Co. along that corridor.
Wherever they want to go, getting 500+/- acres of land near to I-95 and the rail line, is going to displace several homes and landowners. There's no way around that. If you can find 500 acres somewhere in NC that is along I-95 near the rail line and vacant, I would be extremely impressed. I agree that maybe they went about it wrong and should have approached some of the major landowners first, before the announcement, but in the end Eminent Domain will allow them to get what they want if they can prove it will be a huge economic boom to the area.
What these people tend to forget when they invoke the 'family land for 50 years' argument is that the railroad was often there just as long, if not longer. And at it's inception, the railroad was wanted for it meant a way to get good and services to market. This is what made many of those farms viable back then, being able to send your crops to the depot and ship them to wherever. Times have changed and farm to table has different logistics these days, but...and I cannot stress this enough...No one buys land and finds a railroad in their backyard when they wake up. It was their when you bought the property.
This would be huge, HUGE, for Selma and all of Johnston County. There are a lot of trucks up and down I-95 already, and Selma isn't a whole lot more than a truck stop already. Imagine if all of these trucks, and then some, had Selma as a destination? Hotels, services would spring up. This is also huge for the state as it would likely mean more container business for the ports. Putting this terminal where they want makes the most sense. On I-95 and practically on U.S. 70, which is being fast tracked to super corridor/interstate status to Morehead City (port). A stone's throw from I-40 and the Selma natural gas terminals at Buffalo Rd. Not to mention the new Dominion gas pipeline that will run right through this area. It is a no brainer to locate here. Despite the price tag and the 100 million from the state they'll be getting, this project makes a lot more sense for the local and state economy than the crap that went down for Novo Nordisk.
Not to mention that the value of the land nearby would go up a lot. Several large companies would start to look at the area to build large warehouses for distribution throughout the VA/SC/NC area. I've seen this happen back in NJ. Clusters of very large warehouses (like the new Rooms to go warehouse on I-95) will be built right near the exits on I-95. So all those farmers will be able to sell their land for millions.
The one thought you are leaving out is the fact that these farmers don't need or want money , much less to be like New Jersey. Their way of life is more important than money because they can hand down the way of life that's important to them.
Just a bump in the road. If that's where csx says it needs to be, that's about where it will be. The county commissioners had to show support. That's how you get re-elected. One commissioner is from that area, another just had a gas line cross his property, and another has a subdivision being built across the road right now. I don't want somebody to take my property, but I don't think there's much you ca do. When I40 came thru a fellow tried to stop it, almost Clive Bundy style. It worked til the courts told him he had to pay for every hour the dozers sat still. If you notice, I40 goes through the middle of his farm.
This just in...... CSX STATEMENT RE: JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING January 21, 2016 CSX learned of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners statement regarding their continued support of pursuing infrastructure development opportunities. We are grateful to the Commissioners and Johnston County for continuing a collaboration between CSX, local officials and the community. We look forward to further conversations with community members to gather constructive feedback, answer questions and build a path forward for this project. We remain confident that the Carolina Connector (CCX) intermodal terminal will result in hundreds of job opportunities, competitive advantages for local businesses and economic growth for the State and County. At the same time, we understand the various perspectives of project supporters, concerned landowners and local residents. CSX is here to listen and will be responsive to questions and concerns. We welcome these conversations and the constructive feedback that will follow. CSX looks forward to partnering with local officials and citizens to build a terminal that honors Johnston County’s values, creates economic growth and brings tangible benefits to the community.
Doesn't that go completely opposite of what was posted earlier? http://wncn.com/2016/01/20/protesters-mark-johnston-co-meeting-over-csx-hub/ "The Johnston County Commissioners decided Wednesday night that they did not support the location of a CSX rail hub in the county."
In the interest of providing information on all sides of this issue, here is a link to the Facebook page setup to address the CSX development: https://www.facebook.com/FightForTheFarm/?fref=ts
I, for one, think the CCX is a great idea and a huge potential windfall for Selma, JoCo, and Eastern NC. I am sorry that some folks will be displaced (especially The Farm) but as long as they're paid fairly, I'm OK with it -- for the greater good. Although there may be other areas along the I-95 corridor, AFAIK, the reason that Selma is best suited is because it has the crossing of the CSX (which runs North/South) and NS (which runs East/West) lines. So even if there's empty land elsewhere, the further you get away from the crossroad, the less attractive it is.
Not to mention the crossing of two major interstates nearby. I-95 is one of the largest North/South interstates, and I-40 is one of the largest East/West interstates. Plus it has close proximity to the Triangle and the ports of Wilmington, Morehead City, and Norfolk.
There is at least 1 landowner out there that did not have the railroad in their backyard when their ancestors bought that property back in the 1700's. That property has been passed down in that family for many generations. http://abc11.com/news/selma-man-fights-to-save-family-farm-from-railway-giant/1162469/ The first railroad test tracks were built in 1825 in New Jersey by an inventor and a locomotive was tested on the tracks that went around his estate in Hoboken, NJ.
Actually The first railroad charter in the United States was issued February 6, 1815 to the New Jersey Railroad Company, it actually ran right by where I used to live in NJ, there's a sign in the middle of the town I grew up in where a piece of that railway still exists. But experimental railways were built as early as 1764 in the US in NY. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_railroads_in_North_America#Early_experimental_railroads
I saw this claim and while I do not have time to run the chain of title, I am going to go ahead and call BS on this. It may have been in his family for generations, maybe even more than 100 years, but to be able to trace the land acquisition back to the 1700's and lay claim that they were family is a longshot. I could be wrong. He'll get his money. CSX will get the land.
Latest statement issued by CSX concerning the rail hub proposed for Johnston County: CSX STATEMENT January 22, 2016 CSX recently learned that some in Johnston County have initiated an ad hoc site reselection process for CCX. CSX has not been officially notified of those efforts and is not a participant. CSX remains focused on moving the CCX project forward. CSX conducted an extensive site selection process that included consultation with public officials. We continue to believe the current site has potential and that by working with the community we can address landowner concerns. This process is still in its earliest stages. Conversations with landowners – many of them positive, county officials and residents will continue, and we will work to design a terminal that reflects the community's feedback and local values. CCX is committed to bringing 300 short term construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs with annual CSX salaries averaging more than $60,000 to Johnston County, plus more than 1,500 jobs across the state. CCX will deliver economic opportunity, critical infrastructure improvements and advantages for local business to the communities of Selma, Micro and beyond. We look forward to further collaboration with state and local officials to pursue this transformational economic development project.
me think this will be worked out. this project should be good for johnston county and all property owners in the area. this type development does not come along every day for johnston county.
Johnston County commissioners to CSX: We’re working on a compromise http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2016/01/22/johnston-county-commissioners-to-csx.html
