I am writing this letter to bring community awareness to the MassDOT/Longmeadow project. I am one of the few residents who will have part of their property seized by eminent domain. I first became aware of this project when I received a letter from the town back in July 2024 notifying me of the temporary and permanent seizure of my property. I had no knowledge of this project when I purchased my home in December 2020, neither did the realtor, seller nor my attorney. Had I been aware, I can confidently say that I would not have purchased it.
The town, as required by law, hired an independent appraiser, Howard S. Dono & Associates, to appraise residential real estate for the purposes of obtaining partial acquisitions. Based on the appraisal, the town offers Just Compensation. Just Compensation, as defined by Massachusetts General Law, is based on the principles of fairness and equity. It should take into account not only the value of the land taken but also severance damages, which includes the value of the property after the taking. I recently received a Just Compensation offer from the town of Longmeadow without any reference to the appraisal report or supporting data. I formally requested a copy of the report and was told that it was unavailable. Unavailable to whom? If the appraisal is unavailable, how did the town calculate their offer? What data did they use? If the appraisal is only available to the town, how can that be considered independent? I was told by the town that this project will improve the value of my land because traffic will flow more efficiently. That is not the bases for Just Compensation.
Needless to say, the offer was insulting and unjustifiable, considering the direct negative economic impact adding another lane of traffic on Laurel Street will have on my home. My home faces Laurel. I’m going from two lanes of traffic to three lanes of traffic with significantly less front yard.
I would like to take this opportunity to ask, if this was your home, would you just blindly accept someone’s word that all will be well, or would you advocate for data driven, fair and equitable compensation for the decreased value of your property, your home?
I do believe the Select Board members are doing their best to help, and I thank them for their sincere efforts. Longmeadow as a whole needs to do better. Ethically, morally and financially. Thank you.
Mary Beth Guthy
Longmeadow
