Opinion ID: 1419944
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Permanent and Temporary Easements on Wal-Mart's Property

Text: Wal-Mart claims damages resulting from: (1) the temporary easements taken by the City; and (2) the permanent physical taking of a portion of Wal-Mart's land. The temporary easements arise from the City's occupation of parcels of Sam's parking lot during the construction process. Wal-Mart argues it was subjected to excessive noise, blowing dust, and rodent infestation. At one point, according to Wal-Mart, the remainder of its parking lot was being used as a public street by consumers trying to reach stores that were inaccessible because the City had blocked off the north Kellogg frontage road. Wal-Mart submitted deposition testimony concerning these damages. However, the district court accepted the City's argument that inconveniences suffered by landowners during construction are not compensable items of damages. Wal-Mart's second claim relates to the permanent easement condemned by the City. The City condemned two strips for the project (one approximately 15-feet wide from the south edge of the property along the north frontage road [5,057.59 square feet] and the other, 25-feet wide from Sam's parking lot along Dugan Road [6,856.26 square feet]). The parties stipulated that there were no issues as to the regularity or legality of the taking. Three appraisals were submitted to the district court. The first of two from Wal-Mart was by F. Lee Jones, a MAI professional appraiser. (Jones was one of the court-appointed appraisers in the condemnation proceedings.) In Jones' opinion, the loss of value to Wal-Mart as of the day of the taking was $1,300,000 (more than half of that amount was directly attributable to impairment of access). The second Wal-Mart appraisal came from Steve Lane, a site selector for Wal-Mart properties. In Lane's opinion, Wal-Mart's loss in value due to the permanent easement was nearly $1,000,000, and for the temporary easement $100,000. The City's expert was Lee Zimmerman, also a professional MAI appraiser. Zimmerman said the damages suffered by Wal-Mart totaled $58,400. Zimmerman reasons that the project has not depressed land values in the area; rather it has made the land even more valuable.