Author name: Hansen, Howell & Wilkie, PLLC

In this blog series, we aim to get back to basics – that is, to explain some foundational concepts about the kind of law we practice here at Hansen, Howell & Wilkie, PLLC.  Today’s key term: just compensation. Sound familiar? This phrase comes directly from the Bill of Rights – specifically, the Fifth Amendment: No person shall […]

In this blog series, we aim to get back to basics – that is, to explain some foundational concepts about the kind of law we practice here at Hansen, Howell & Wilkie, PLLC.  Today’s key term: is condemnation. While the term often brings to mind unsafe or uninhabitable buildings, condemnation extends beyond this definition. It can also

In this blog series, we aim to get back to basics – that is, to explain some foundational concepts about what we do here at Hansen, Howell & Wilkie, PLLC. Today, let’s look at the term “eminent domain.” What does that mean? Eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property for public

After years of planning, protests, legal challenges, budget overruns, and delays, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was canceled.  On July 5, 2020, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy made a joint announcement, stating the move “was a necessary decision given the legal uncertainties facing the project.”  While many landowners in the path of the pipeline celebrated, those whose property

The North Carolina Department of Transportation continues to monitor their cash reserves in light of the funding shortfalls that caused them to suspend preliminary engineering on more than 900 projects last year.  According to the DOT, if a project was already under construction, or if construction was set to start before August 2020, then the timeline

Citing the costs of cleaning up after several natural disasters, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) acknowledges that funding shortages will delay hundreds of infrastructure projects statewide.  In fact, according to an Aug. 30th memo from NCDOT COO Bobby Lewis, preliminary engineering is being suspended on nearly 1000 projects. Read more at the Triangle Business Journal

The way that billboards are treated in potential eminent domain cases may change soon.  House Bill 645 was recently approved by the North Carolina Senate, and some opponents say the bill goes too far.  The Bill, which is supported by N.C. Outdoor Advertising Association, relaxes restrictions on moving billboards when the owner of the land no longer wants

The Mountain Valley Pipeline might have gotten a favorable ruling out of the Fourth Circuit earlier this week regarding the use of eminent domain, but the road has been very rocky for Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline.  Work has started and stopped due to lawsuits; permits have been issued, challenged, and revoked; and the projected cost has gone from original estimates of $4B to

A recent article that appeared online via the Mooresville Citizen covered a public meeting hosted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation regarding the Oates Road widening project.    NCDOT hosts such meetings all over the state, nearly year round, ostensibly giving the public the opportunity to view maps, ask questions, and learn how a specific transportation project might affect their property.