Looking at the map, there is no other property along that corridor which would be better. There is an exit off I-95. The proximity of the railroad and interstate is good. There are no major groups of housing which would be impacted as would be the case at any exit more south or north until the interstate and railroad diverge. There is a close proximity of both north-south and east-west rails in addition to the highways. To go south of Benson moves farther from the rail intersection and still impacts as many or more people.
basically Joco is blowing a huge opportunity due a small group of people not wanting to sell their "homestead" for a boat load of cash.
Agreed, I looked yesterday at the entire I-95 and railroad corridor in NC that runs North to South. I could not find a better location either. Some locations appeared to work just as well, but upon closer inspection it turned out that there was a river or swamp land there. Both of which would complicate environmental studies and most likely prohibit a rail yard. The area they picked in the first place seems to be one of the best. Sometimes progress of the whole needs to take priority over the few. I would gladly sell my house and property for a fair market value if they wanted to buy it. It's really not that big of a deal to move a mile or two away. I know for a large farmer it's more complex, but if you get paid a ton of cash, you can probably take your time and figure out what you want to do in the future.
CSX STATEMENT January 27, 2016 CSX is committed to this infrastructure project which will create jobs, deliver a distinct competitive advantage for large and small businesses, and spur economic development. We look forward to working with all interested stakeholders to address concerns and move the project forward.
I could understand if the land had been given to your family by the King of England or some such, but even that land has a price. as for selling at fair market value I would have to say that plus some for the inconvience of having to relocate would be fair.
exactly. enough to by the same amount of land, reconstruct the same structures, plus the cost of moving and bother.
I think part of the issue is that some people get very emotionally attached to inanimate objects like land or a house. If your house burned down, what would you do? Rebuild it. If a huge sinkhole swallowed up your property, what would you do? Move. If a huge railroad project that will benefit all of your neighbors in the surrounding community does a study and finds that your land is the best suited within 20+ miles for their project, and then they want to buy your land for fair market value, why would you be a baby and stand in the way of progress?
Because unless you are living in Dubai, they arent making any more land. Its not so much the fact that they want to stand in the way of progress, its the fact that .....here.....we are taking it wether you like it or not and oh by the way, here are a few bucks for your trouble. If you have some land and are actively looking to sell it to a developer, thats one thing. Someone to come in and kick you off and tell you that your land is now theirs, is another.
governor announced this proposed site is not being considered anymore and they are looking for other land. does he not know what he is taklking about?
The problem is that certain projects require larger amounts of land in certain areas so there must be a way to deal with it. The port of Clayton would not work very well as few ships could dock. This is not like a factory that can be built most anywhere because it needs both good road/interstate access in addition to railroad access. The people displaced are not as limited and can purchase similar sized pieces of land which are not beside a railroad and interstate. While they are not "making any more land" there is land for sale and can easily be purchased if there are not so many specific requirements as in the case of this new depot.
There is land for sale in JoCo even - http://www.landandfarm.com/search/?...alse&Auction=False&SortBy=Price&CurrentPage=1
Wayne County wants it and actively supports it. They say Cherry Hospital is closing and already owned by the state so CSX can locate there. Cherry Hospital is not even on a CSX rail line. Local leaders...lolz.
Almost as bad as one idea I heard, which was to pick a spot along the rail line and build an interchange on I-95 for the new depot. The added cost would be huge and the disruption of travel on the interstate would be even larger.
Perhaps if CSX obtained a 10 or 20 year lease, the people not wanting to sell would be interested then. Certain restrictions could allow CSX to re-lease at end of current lease, and allow them first option to buy land if owner decided to sell.
I doubt they would spend $300 million in building a facility on leased land. Maybe if it was something like a 99 year lease, but definitely not a 10 or 20 year lease. Their ROI on the $300M is probably close to 8-10 years.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article56814098.html CSX still committed Railroad officials signaled Wednesday that they were undeterred by McCrory’s reversal. “CSX is committed to this infrastructure project which will create jobs, deliver a distinct competitive advantage for large and small businesses, and spur economic development,” CSX spokeswoman Kristin Seay said by email. “We look forward to working with all interested stakeholders to address concerns and move the project forward.” The freight terminal, dubbed CCX or the Carolina Connector, would use robotic cranes to transfer shipping containers between trains, and between trains and trucks – handling as many as 900,000 containers a year. CSX said the project, which could be completed by the end of 2019, would create 300 construction jobs, employ 300 CSX workers, and could spawn 1,500 jobs across the state in coming years. By increasing rail freight shipments along the eastern seaboard, CSX said, the terminal could reduce truck traffic.
Their press releases look and sound good, but the one that this one is modeled after is in Ohio. They are being sued for noise and light pollution. They have put 2000000 bucks in a fund now for grants as best I understand. Two companies have applied for grants. I have not verified this information. It came to me from a county commissioner.
