Alan Latt is worried that after work begins on the Intercounty Connector, he’s going to lose a treasured retreat — a breath of fresh air and a peaceful view from his back porch.
Latt, a paraplegic with breathing problems, may lose more than 36,000 square feet of his three acres in Rockville for construction of the $2.4 billion toll road, which was given the go-ahead by a judge Thursday.
After at least five meetings with Maryland State Highway Administration officials, Latt and the state have not reached an agreement. He claims officials have not acknowledged the damage that the road could cause him.
Latt said his home lies in the area considered by the state as part of “Contract A,” the first part of the project to proceed. He worries that the dust kicked up by construction and the smog from the future roadway will “be so severe that I will be shut in to my home permanently,” Latt said.
Latt said he didn’t know about the ICC when he bought the property 30 years ago, and when he did learn about it, it was a much different project.
The state has acquired all or part of 184 properties in the road’s path, including Latt’s, said SHA spokeswoman Valerie Burnette Edgar.
Once the property is considered acquired by the state, there is a formal process to haggle over the amount being offered. If negotiations fail, the process leads to a courtroom.
Latt would not say what he has been offered but said it isn’t enough. He has not filed suit and continues to negotiate with the state officials for what he considers a fair price.
Latt is not alone in his fight for what he feels is just compensation.
Alex Witze, who lives in a town house community in Derwood, said the residents want more than the $102,000 offered by the state for its acquisition of 3,200 square feet common wooded area jointly owned by the homeowners association.
Residents are worried that their property values will drop as a result of the ICC.
“Basically, it’ll be outside the bedroom windows of people that look outside,” Witze said.
Latt, who bought his home at a time before sprawl had caught up to his back deck, worries that residents in his quiet wooded community, where homes sit on lots of up to three acres, are being taken advantage of. “The war isn’t over,” he said.
