Proposed Rail Trail in North & South Carolina Might Mean Property Owners Can Just Compensation
This summer, three nonprofit organizations announced plans to buy the Saluda Grade Railroad to create a 31-mile trail from Landrum, South Carolina to Zirconia, North Carolina. Converted from an abandoned railroad, the proposed trail would mean that many property owners along the trail could file a claim against the federal government and get paid just compensation. Lewis Rice attorney Lindsay S. C. Brinton spoke with a reporter from WSPA to discuss the conversion and the opportunity for landowners along the trail.
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Lewis Rice's federal takings attorneys represent landowners throughout the United States pursuing takings claims against the federal government. One primary focus of the group is representing landowners in what is commonly referred to as rails to trails takings. Attorneys in this group litigate cases in the United States Court of Federal Claims on behalf of those whose property was taken by the federal government pursuant to the National Trails System Act, which authorizes abandoned railroad lines to be converted to public parks. The goal is to obtain compensation from the government for the taking of their land for the public recreational trail.