Land Acquisition Professionals

When engineers and construction teams plan infrastructure there is often the need to acquire easements and right-of-way. Whether it is the widening of a road, a new electrical transmission line, water, or sewer lines, there will always be the necessity of using private property for utilities and public works. Cities and utility companies use private property to build the infrastructure that serves gas, electric, water, sewer, communications, roads, bridges, and flood controls. Ideally, engineers want to use the least amount of space possible to provide these services. But when that space is needed land acquisition professionals step in to settle a fair deal for the use of private property.

Why Land Acquisition Professionals?

The Land Acquisition team at Allgeier, Martin and Associates (AMA) involves experts for these occasions. This team brings a good balance between project owners and private property owners to negotiate as a third party. This team is hired by project owners for several reasons.

• The project owner may not have adequate or trained staff to negotiate a fair easement or right-of-way.

• Even if the project owner has the staff, they may be unsuccessful for a variety of reasons and require a third party to step in and reach a deal.

Challenges

There are a few challenges when it comes to negotiating a fair deal for the use of private property.

1. Many times, property owners live out of state and are not occupying the land. This makes it difficult to contact the owner and explain over the phone what the land is needed for and the impact it will have on the property.

2. When property owners are present, land acquisition professionals can be viewed as a threat when the only means of contact is face-to-face during an unsolicited visit. Negotiators must make a good first impression that is professional and respectful.

3. The property owner’s opinion of value and the actual appraisal or offer does not always agree. Good communication skills are required to help narrow this gap.

4. Property owners sometimes have difficulty understanding how the new infrastructure will impact them and their land. A careful explanation is needed to help owners know what to expect.

5. Some counties do not have online records of property titles. Extended research is sometimes necessary to find accurate and reliable information.

Projects

Transportation

The City of Joplin planned to widen Connecticut Avenue for just over a half-mile. Most of the route had single-family residential property owners. There were forty-nine (49) parcels that required right-of-way for the road widening and improvements. Before discussions began, the City had a meeting with interested property owners. Our land acquisition team participated in this meeting which helped start the process.

The City already had appraisals completed on each property. This allowed our team to obtain a current value of the sections for improvement. Forty-six (46) parcels were successfully negotiated in about 90 days. Having the current appraisals upfront, before the negotiations, made the project run quicker.

Electrical Transmission

An electric power cooperative planned on upgrading a powerline between a Switch Station and the Substation. The original easements were secured in the 1980s. These easements did not grant all the rights the utility needed. Today, communications are added on transmission lines that were not present in the 1980s. For these reasons, easements for the existing transmission line required renegotiating.

The easements involved mostly rural land. In one section of the line, there was an unusual jog that routed the line around an obstacle. AMA land acquisition professionals included the removal of the obstacle in the new easement language which rerouted the new line on a more direct route. This eliminated several guy wires in the old jog that the landowner wanted out of his crop fields.

Tips for Working with Land Acquisition Professionals

1. Cities and utility companies do not want to enforce condemnation rights to gain what is needed for public purposes. However, when a property owner is unresponsive or uncooperative, it forces their hand to condemnation. In the end, you will receive compensation determined by a judge rather than a cooperative agreement you have the power to negotiate.

2. Listen carefully to what the project is, what it will accomplish, and how it will impact your property. Ask your land acquisition professional to explain in detail all the possible impacts.

3. Review the written offer of your property carefully. Make a realistic judgment of the value of the portion of your property that will be impacted. Base this judgment on the data available to you.

4. Be prompt and responsive to requests from your negotiator. They are working with multiple property owners so respect their time and effort to serve you.