The Drive: Family Says Land Overlooking Area 51 Is Worth $116M—USAF Says $330k
The family with a view overlooking the secretive facility continues to battle with the USAF over just compensation for their seized land.
Last year I shared “The Unlikely Story Of The Family Whose Neighbor Is Area 51,” an amazing saga that spanned more than 130 years. It included the pioneering American spirit, the dawn of the nuclear age and the horrific weapons tests that went along with it, a family’s love for their heritage, and most ominously, the most famous secret installation in the world—the USAF’s sprawling flight test center at Groom Lake—better known as Area 51. When we last left the Sheahan family they were at odds with the USAF, who had just made their “final offer” of $5.2 million for their very unique property. Now, a year later, the land has been seized by the Air Force and a bitter legal battle between the two parties is well underway.
Both the Air Force and Sheahans have obtained appraisals for the family’s roughly 400 acres of land and mining claims situated across the Groom dry lake bed from Area 51. The results of those appraisals could not be any more disparate. The Sheahan’s estimators put the value of the property at between $44 million and $116 million. Meanwhile the USAF has come back with another value that they are now willing to pay the family, that being just $333,300, or roughly six and a half percent of their last offer.
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Previous Post: Property Owners Next To Area 51 Lose Title To Their Land (October 21, 2015).
WNU Editor: 400 acres of land in the desert is not worth $116 million .... even if it is on Area 51. The family should have taken the $5.2 million .... because this case is now going to go on for years, and the end result will be far less than what the family had hoped for.
8 comments:
The value of the land is based in two things,
The size and extent of the ore body and the mineral claims, given it's still profitable after 124 years of mining, they must be both rich and sizeable,
The fact that the Mine has been singularly owned and operated, which allows "grandfathering" for a host of mining and EPA regulations, and the land is held by a Patent, not a title, ( an unrestricted form of title, granted by President Grant),
You are right Jay. I forgot about the mineral rights.
It's also the "Patent" Rights.
Basically, as far as land ownership, you get to be an unregulated god, underground, mineral rights, water rights, zoning, construction, tailings disposal,
Other than the air, you basically "are" the Government on that chunk of land.
You don't even have to pay royalties and have a host of tax exemptions.
The family will end up getting everything they want and then some.
Hard to say.
It's going to Court, the Family has to pay their Court costs, the US Taxpayer pay's all the AirForce's court costs,
4, maybe 5 courts to drag the case through, including appeals, $1.5 million or more per court level.
If the Family has $7 to $12 million in the Bank, they will eventually probably win in 15-25 years, if not, well, they should have taken the $5.2 million offer.
If the 5.2 million dollar was a good offer, then yes take it. It was probably at least 5 times what the property was worth. The US government often makes such exorbitant offers beyond what properties are really worth for two reasons. They wish to avoid negative publucity and the taxpayer pays.
This family should have approached the US government privately, asked for 10 billion to go away and leave them alone, the government would have doubled the offer to 20 billion after all the property overlooks area 51. As a part of human nature, when we attack people tbey tend to dig in on their positions.
If only the family wouldn't have chosen to be publicity hounds they'd be 20 billion dollars richer and the whole thing would be over. Instead they chose the path they chose. They'll get everything they asked for but I don't think it's going to take 15 to 25 years. It'll be fast tracked. The government doesn't want the bad publicity.
Truth is the government offerd 5.2 million to get this family to sell a property to them that was worth even less than the current offer to get them to leave without bad publicity for the government. They could have done this in private and not been publicity hounds gotten 20 billion for property that overlooks area 51.
They'll get everything they wanted. It'll take far less than 25 years. The facts of the case don't matter. There isn't a judge in America who will rule against them. Anything to undermine "area 51" judges and juries dream of this.
It's a pity this family chose to be publicity hounds. If they hadn't they'd be 20 billion richer now and their stress would be much less. They still might be able to make a deal. Unfortunately when people are attacked human nature tends to dig in and folks don't budge. As such, tne US government may stick with the 330K offer which is probably what the property is worth.
The courts don't care. It's area 51 and we get to screwv the military. No court in America can resist this. Hence the family gets everything they want very quickly. I wish they'd have asked for 10 billion privately, they'd have gotten 20 billion, and we'd be done with this nonsense. Instead these people had to be publucity hounds. T
They'll get what they are asking for and then some and very quickly. They could've gotten more with a private settlement but hey humiliating the US government and the military is easy and great fun. Why not go for it? There's no cost. The potential upside benefits are huge.
The family took 1.2 million dollars a year from the site, for 118 years,
Not played out.
5.2 million is chump change.
Silver is going for $16.94 an ounce.
Bralorne, a similar mine, produced .$1.28 billion, over it's lifespan.
The family could have asked for whatever they wanted. They could've gotten a minimum of 20 billion. Unfortunately they chose to be publicity hounds. They'll still get what they are asking for. They must be extremely grateful for a coming Trump Administration.
Mr. Trump is pragmatic and not bound by ideology. Give the family what they want and BE GONE-! There's far bigger issues the nation faces. Somehow I'm thinking this family isn't that smart. Afer all poking fingers in the eyes of the US government is great fun, is easy, has no costs, and has fabulous short range to mid range benefits. There is no costs.
Had they not been publicity hounds they'd have gotten far more than 1.28 billion. They still will get what they are "asking" for. They raised their stress level, wasted taxpayer money, and time by not settling for the easy 20 billion they could've easily gotten.have
Some just like the publicity. A private aettlenwnt would've been easy. Tbey didn't want that. some will get there's someday but not now. The family will get what they want within six months unless they choose to stretch this out.
They must be enjoying the publicilty. After all they could've become at least 20 billion richer long, long ago by settling.
They'll get what they want. I wish they'd have acted in a way to save us the pain and trouble. By stretching this out the family gets fame and their attorneys pad their fees.
I wish these people would've demanded a 10 billion dollar settlement in private. The government would've raised it to 20 billion and we'd be done with these people.
By taking the path the family has chosen they will get less money but they will have fame and accolades. I would tend to hold such people in utter contempt. They should've taken tne 20 billion settlement which would've been inevitable and been gone!!
This country has huge oroblems. To waste resources on tbeir naked greed is disgusting!!
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