Former NCDOT attorney offering guidance on eminent domain and property rights

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Tonight, a free seminar will discuss the Market Street widening project in Wilmington and what property owners need to know about their eminent domain rights.

According to a news release, former NCDOT attorney Stan Abrams will also share what property owners might expects from the NCDOT and how to try to protect against government overreach through certain negotiation strategies.

Attendees will learn from Abrams how the NCDOT typically negotiates. The release says property owners will hear about some common mistakes Abrams has seen property owners make and strategies that have helped property owners try to negotiate better deals. These negotiation strategies are designed to try to help property owners maximize the NCDOT’s purchase offer for their property and try to ensure they are treated fairly during the negotiation process.

“During negotiations, the NCDOT has sometimes tried to downplay the harm they will cause the property owners,” Abrams said. “While they aren’t intentionally trying to steal your land, like any buyer, they want to get it as cheaply as possible. The appraisers and negotiators that property owners will be dealing with are hired by the NCDOT. They have done this probably hundreds of times. They know the process, and the right of way agents are experienced negotiators. Yet, the property owners are likely doing this for the first time. They don’t know the process and don’t know how these claims can be negotiated.”

More than 150 New Hanover County property and business owners in Wilmington will be affected by the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s plans to widen U.S. 17 Business.

The seminar is tonight at the Hilton Garden Inn at 7:00 p.m.

It is free and open to the public.