In the name of building a parking lot, the Aldine Independent School District in Harris County, Texas tried to intimidate a 79-year-old man into selling his home, which his family has owned since 1916.
The school district is spending $50 million to redevelop its high school football stadium, which has parking lots on three sides of the one-acre property where Travis Upchurch’s house sits, Reason Magazine reported. The district has been trying to acquire Upchurch’s property to expand the parking.
When Upchurch indicated that he didn’t want to sell his property, the school district hired a third party to send a letter that the district would seize the property using eminent domain if he didn’t agree to a voluntary sale.
Tara Upchurch, Travis’ daughter, said the idea of forcing her father to relocate was terrifying. The family made repeated efforts to work out a deal with the district that would allow the senior citizen to live out his remaining years in the home, but the district seemed set on taking the property as soon as possible, Reason reported.
Then, all of a sudden, the district changed course, saying the property wasn't necessary for the stadium project and that the district had been concerned about the liability issues of having someone live so close to its construction projects.
Finally, the school board voted to stop efforts to acquire the property.
While Tara Upchurch says that she's grateful, she doesn’t trust that the school district won’t take up the eminent domain efforts again after the election.
“We don't put anything past Aldine right now. We are nervous,” she told Reason.
Eminent domain shouldn’t be used to bully old men into leaving their house so that a high school stadium could have a larger parking lot.
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