DeSoto County: I-69
The State took 37.3 acres from a 462.3 acre tract as part of the construction of I-69 in DeSoto County. The property was in the process of being developed as a large rural residential subdivision along the Mississippi Delta bluff. Lots were already being sold in the first three phases of the development around a 102 acre lake the owners built as a centerpiece of the development when the taking occurred. After the taking, the new interstate highway ran through the property including a portion of the lake. The property owners argued that the construction of an interstate highway through a rural residential development caused significant damage to the marketability and value of the remaining property. The State took the position that the remaining property suffered no damage. The case was tried in Hernando, Mississippi, and a DeSoto County Jury returned a verdict in the full amount of the property owner's appraisal. The case as appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court by the State and was affirmed.
