The Ellis County Press: Eminent domain cuts through heart of Glenn Heights ranch

Eminent domain cuts through heart of Glenn Heights ranch
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Editor on 03/08/2007 00:00:00


KELLIE ROBINSON
_The Ellis County Press_
GLENN HEIGHTS - David McFadden, owner of the Stone Canyon Ranch in Glenn
Heights, might have sold at least 19 acres of his land to the state - whether or
not he wanted to.
The Loop 9 project, a toll road being touted as the solution to many of North
Texas' traffic problems, claimed by eminent domain on a portion of the expansive
100-acre Stone Canyon Ranch in Glenn Heights for use in the toll way.
The first proposal was to take a total of 19 acres for the highway and McFadden
said the road would come within 150 feet of his residence, making it unlivable
once construction was complete.
The stretch of road would also interfere with the pristine feel of the land in a
place where people come to get away from the noise and pollution of city living.
Later, McFadden said the second survey of his land was scheduled sometime in the
near future and how much of the land is to be used for the highway
McFadden had one day hoped to retire on the sprawling ranch.
For now, it is still a place people can go to ride horses and take in the sights
of the limestone creek beds and open pastures.
'It's tragic in all respects as it relates to the land,' McFadden said.
In spite of the loss he feels for the property he worked so hard to make his
own, McFadden said he understood someone must lose a few acres of land in order
for roads to be built.