Highway 14 Realignment from Waseca to I-35 in Owatonna, MN
Biersdorf & Associates Project #- 3480.004
Condemning Authority- State of Minnesota
CURRENT NEWS:
Updated: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:22 pm
OWATONNA — You can’t fight city hall — or maybe, in cases of eminent domain and the Highway 14 project, you can.
Dan Biersdorf, of Biersdorf & Associates, a law firm specializing in eminent domain cases, was in Owatonna Tuesday evening to discuss a recent Minnesota law which allows land owners to recoup attorneys fees if they are able to prove more money is owed to them than initial offers by the governing agency. That law may help landowners whose land will be used in the Highway 14 project in Owatonna.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to realign Highway 14 from Waseca into the south side of Owatonna. The portion of the project from Waseca to the Steele County line is expected to begin this year. This project will cross the new Owatonna West Beltline Project and continue east through the south side of Owatonna.
And that’s where the new law will help.
“The law has been amended to help property owners here,” Biersdorf said.
There is a catch, however.
According to the Minnesota law, the difference must cross a threshold of 40 percent for the governing agency to pay property owners’ attorney fees. For example, if the government offers $20,000 for a parcel of land and it is proven the property owners are entitled to $35,000, the government would pay for attorney costs. However, if a judge or jury decides the property owner is entitled to only $25,000 for the parcel, the property owner would still be responsible for those attorney fees.
What Biersdorf does, he said, is to offer a free consultation to property owners in order to assess the offer. He said if he doesn’t think he can get a higher amount to reach the threshold, he will tell property owners.
“You don’t want to take the offers or appraisals lightly,” Biersdorf said.
Biersdorf said a firm specializing in eminent domain is the best choice for property owners, as the law that allow government entities to seize private property without the owner’s consent is delicately intricate.
“Under the law, everything has to be reduced to dollars,” Biersdorf said.
Many property costs can be missed by appraisers or government regulators when offering a price to the owner. Severance and damage costs to the property owner for the loss of land can include damages from a loss of easement or accessibility, the decrease in property value due to proximity of the new highway and so on — all of which may need to be considered.
Steele County Commissioner Bruce Kubicek said MnDOT will handle the acquiring of private property along Highway 14 and near 39th Avenue in Owatonna.
Offers are currently being made to affected property owners. Calls to MnDOT representatives to confirm the number of properties currently acquired were not returned by press time.
Wendy Reuer can be reached at 444-1565.
-END-
June 10, 2008
NEWS RELEASE
INFORMATIONAL MEETING TO BE HELD REGARDING HIGHWAY 14 REALIGNMENT PROJECT FROM WASECA TO OWATONNA AND THE OWATONNA WEST BELTLINE PROJECT
An informational public meeting regarding the new Highway 14 Realignment Project from Waseca to Owatonna and the West Beltline Project will be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, June 16th, at the Owatonna Public Library, 3rd floor, located at 105 North Elm Avenue in Owatonna. .
Dan Biersdorf, of eminent domain firm Biersdorf & Associates, will be speaking at the meeting from a property owner’s perspective. Biersdorf will give an overview of the eminent domain process, discuss property owner rights, talk about property valuation errors made by the MN Department of Transportation in relation to this project, and then open the floor to any questions that attendees may have. Dan will be available to conduct case evaluations after the meeting.
Biersdorf is originally from Owatonna and attended Owatonna High School. He has worked on eminent domain and other property valuation litigation cases nationwide for over 20 years. His central office is located in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to realign Highway 14 from Waseca into the South Side of Owatonna. This project will cross the new Owatonna West Beltline Project and continue East through the South side of Owatonna.
This project requires the DOT to acquire private property along Highway 14 and near 39th Avenue in Owatonna. Offers are currently being made to affected property owners.
For more information about the meeting or the project itself, please contact Stacy Dreher or Dan Biersdorf at 612.339.7242 or stacy@condemnation-law.com.
- End -
Project Information:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MN DOT) is planning on realigning the existing Highway 14 between Waseca and Owatonna. This new alignment will eventually cross the new Owatonna West Beltline and continue East through the South side of Owatonna. This project is one phase of many Realignment Projects occuring along Highway 14.
Segment A was from Highway 60 to Janesville and construction was completed in 2004.
Segment B was from Janesville to Waseca and construction was completed in 2006
Segment C is the Waseca Bypass which is currently under construction
Segment D is from Waseca to I-35 in Owatonna and property acquisition is currently underway.
The MN DOT has already made offers to property owners located between Waseca and Owatonna.
If you have received your offer from the State, please call us for a free consultation at 866.339.7242. We have already reviewed property appraisals and offers made by the State in relation to this project, and have discovered that the State is making errors in their property valuation.