Opinion ID: 2234355
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Status of Dudley Lane.

Text: Though not dispositive, the status of Dudley Lane is a factor to be considered in selecting the route of condemnation. If Dudley Lane is considered an existing public road, then the northern route would only be 2630 feet long. If, however, Dudley Lane is not considered an existing public road, the northern route would have to traverse 4555 feet to connect the Wilderness Ridge property to the next public road. At 4555 feet, the northern route would be 420 feet longer than the southern route. [1] Iowa's eminent domain statute requires that a route of condemnation connect landlocked property to an existing public road. Iowa Code § 6A.4(2). Numerous witnesses, including experts and neighboring property owners, testified that no trace of Dudley Lane currently exists. While the Greens offered evidence that Dudley Lane is still classified in records as a level B road and that the road's theoretical location could be determined based upon old plats, Dudley Lane does not physically exist. Dudley Lane thus exists as a road only on paper and not in reality. As a result, we conclude that Dudley Lane is not an existing public road under Iowa Code section 6A.4(2). Requiring the existence of an actual physical roadway comports with legislative intent. The purpose of section 6A.4(2) is to provide landlocked property owners access to their property. Access which would require Wilderness Ridge to engage Dubuque County in litigation to compel the county to maintain Dudley Lane as a level B road would not provide the defendant reasonable access to the property for the foreseeable future, even if the outcome of such litigation was certain. See In re Luloff, 512 N.W.2d 267, 271 (Iowa 1994) (rejecting claim that an owner of landlocked property must pursue one or more legal actions in order to determine whether he/she has access to the property prior to initiating an action for private condemnation); Bellon v. Monroe County, 577 N.W.2d 877, 879 (Iowa Ct.App.1998) (rejecting mandamus action to force county to maintain level B road at level A standards).