Family Takes Mount Pleasant To Court Over Foxconn Land Grab

MOUNT PLEASANT, WI -- As the Village of Mount Pleasant pushes to require nine remaining parcels currently held by residents living in the Foxconn Construction Zone, one local family has taken the village to court, saying their methods are against the law.

David and Brenda Creuzinger, owner of Creuzinger Farms, the largest landowner currently holding out in the Foxconn Electronics Plant construction area, have taken Mount Pleasant to court to block the village from acquiring their land.

In a suit filed in Racine County Circuit Court on Sep. 14, the owners of Creuzinger Farms, 11823 Durand Ave. cite a state law that says blighting cannot be for the benefit of a private corporation. "As such, the taking is a thinly-veiled attempt to circumvent the prohibition against taking private property for a non-public purpose," the suit states.

The case asks Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz to block the village from acquiring the land until the suit has been settled. The suit goes before the court on Oct. 2.

The suit also states that the village is conducting the land acquisition in bad faith, for the purpose of reducing the property value of their property, which includes the Land of the Giants pumpkin farm.

On Monday, Sep. 24, the Mount Pleasant village board plans to meet in closed session regarding the lawsuit. The village board plans to vote on whether to approve $363,400 in damages awards to Creuziger Farms for land acquisitions.

Overall, the village plans to vote on whether to award damages for a total of nine parcels of land in the Foxconn Construction Zone. The Creuzingers own five of those parcels.

Image Via Google Street Map