Monday, March 07, 2005
This topic has been around for quite awhile, yet it appears to be more prominent in the last few weeks, mainly due to the Supreme Court case involving New London Development Corporation here in Connecticut. Today, though, I read the story of a retired couple and their quarrel with the Cobb County government in metro Atlanta:
Fred and Louise Maloney have lived the quiet retirement of their dreams since they built a home on 53 acres of woodlands in northwest Cobb County more than 30 years ago.
But their peaceful life was shaken recently when the Cobb School District told them their property might be seized under eminent domain laws and used to build two schools.
Fred and Louise Maloney - he's 82, she's 78 - bought their Cobb County land in 1965 and moved into their home in 1971. They would receive fair market value if Cobb schools seize the land through eminent domain, but they don't want to go. They say they couldn't survive in assisted living or a condo arrangement. Cobb officials want to inspect the land to see if it's suitable for development.
The Maloneys said they're not letting anybody on their land, and they're not going to sell.
Now, it can be argued that such ire is premature, because the government has not yet decided where they will go with this construction. Further, they even expressed in the interview with the AJC that it was not their wish to displace a retired couple. Yet, the fact that the government even thinks they have the right to do so is nauseating. Besides that, if you've ever traveled Stilesboro Road, you know that there is a LOT of open land there. The land in question approaches the Paulding County line. While the west Cobb corridor is certainly bustling (we lived there in 2003), the area in question is not. To quote my wife, "Once you get outside of Barrett and Highway 41, there's nothing there." Exactly. Here's hoping common sense prevails, and the Maloneys are allowed to retire in peace. Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
1:10 PM
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