Woodbury Is Taking 12 Feet Of Yard From Homeowners

WOODBURY, MN — Several Woodbury residents are losing a 12-foot-wide section of their lawns so the city can build a new path. Resident Tom Erickson said the plan will shrink his front yard by roughly a third. Though he continues to fight the city's plans for his yard, Erickson acknowledges that the move is legal through the easements that exist on every other street in the city.

Easements, for example, allow municipalities to build sidewalks or install power and water lines without having to buy the land from homeowners. "It’s incredible to me that they can just grab your property," Erickson told the Pioneer Press.

John Bradford, Woodbury's deputy director of engineering and public works, told the newspaper that the city needs to provide a safe pedestrian way to get to school. The path that would go through Erickson's yard would connect to Red Rock Elementary School. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alertsand newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Read much more at the Pioneer Press.

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