They
Just
Built
Thei
D eam
Home
o
Cape
Cod—Now
the
State
Will
Tea
It
Dow
A
Cape
Cod
couple
moved
i to
thei
ewly
built
d eam
home
i
Ma ch
2025.
Just
o e
mo th
late ,
Massachusetts
officials
told
them
that
the
state
would
take
the
p ope ty
th ough
emi e t
domai
to
make
way
fo
a
eplaceme t
b idge.
Ma c
a d
Joa
He del
a e
amo g
13
p ope ty
ow e s
i
the
Rou d
Hill
eighbo hood
of
Bou e
whose
la d
was
selected
fo
the
ew
Sagamo e
B idge
p oject.
Public
eco ds
eviewed
by
the
Bosto
Globe
show
that
by
Ap il,
the
state
had
take
11
of
the
13
p ope ties.
State
fili gs
show
that
Massachusetts
had
paid
at
least
$4.8
millio
fo
six
of
the
homes,
mo e
tha
thei
combi ed
assessed
value
of
$3.5
millio .Fo
the
He dels,
howeve ,
the
mo ey
does
ot
make
up
fo
the
dis uptio
to
thei
eti eme t
pla s.
Afte
seve al
yea s
livi g
i
the
Midwest,
the
couple
decided
i
late
2023
to
move
to
New
E gla d
to
be
close
to
family
i
Bosto
a d
Co ecticut.
Ha d-delive ed
otice
cha ges
thei
pla s
The
couple
bought
la d
a d
sig ed
a
co t act
fo
a
custom-built
home
i
Decembe
2023.
They
elied
o
thei
eal
estate
age t
to
tell
them
about
a y
possible
p oblems
with
the
p ope ty.Co st uctio
fi ished
i
ea ly
2025,
a d
the
couple
moved
i to
the
home
i
Ma ch.Fou
weeks
late ,
a
state
official
a ived
with
a
legal
otice
sayi g
that
Massachusetts
was
taki g
ow e ship
of
thei
p ope ty.
Joa
He del
ecalled
that
they
we e
shocked
a d
did
ot
k ow
how
to
eact.
She
said
that
although
they
have
a
st o g
ma iage
a d
o mally
commu icate
well,
they
could
ot
fi d
wo ds
that
day.The
He dels
also
poi ted
to
docume ts
sig ed
by
the
selle
i
2023
that
said
the
selle
was
ot
awa e
of
a y
pla ed
gove me t
taki g
of
the
p ope ty.State
officials
had
held
commu ity
meeti gs
about
the
b idge
eplaceme t
as
ea ly
as
Ju e
2021.
Howeve ,
the
He dels
we e
livi g
outside
Massachusetts
at
the
time
a d
did
ot
k ow
about
the
local
meeti gs.
Agi g
b idges
d ive
the
p oject
Massachusetts
officials
say
buyi g
the
p ope ties
is
ecessa y
to
imp ove
a
impo ta t
egio al
t a spo tatio
oute.
The
Sagamo e
a d
Bou e
b idges
a e
ea ly
90
yea s
old
a d
togethe
ha dle
mo e
tha
38
millio
vehicle
t ips
each
yea .
They
a e
the
o ly
oad
co ectio s
betwee
Cape
Cod
a d
mai la d
Massachusetts.Luisa
Paiewo sky,
executive
di ecto
of
MassDOT’s
Mega
P ojects
Delive y
Office,
said
that
people
depe d
heavily
o
the
b idges.The
US
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
classified
the
existi g
b idges
as
“fu ctio ally
obsolete”
i
2020.
Paiewo sky
said
pla e s
chose
a
oute
that
would
equi e
as
few
eside tial
p ope ty
taki gs
as
possible.She
also
ack owledged
the
impact
o
eside ts.
Although
the
state
p ovides
compe satio
fo
homes
a d
elocatio
costs
a d
helps
people
fi d
ew
housi g,
she
said
officials
u de sta d
that
losi g
a
home
is
much
mo e
tha
a
fi a cial
t a sactio .
She
said
the
state
is
wo ki g
to
t eat
affected
eside ts
with
espect,
p ofessio alism,
a d
compassio
because
of
the
dis uptio
the
p oject
ca
cause.
Quick-take
law
adds
to
the
p essu e
Massachusetts
is
a
“quick
take”
state.
This
mea s
the
gove me t
ca
take
legal
ow e ship
of
a
p ope ty
befo e
the
fi al
amou t
of
compe satio
has
bee
ag eed.The
case
has
also
aised
questio s
about
whethe
fi a cial
payme ts
ca
t uly
cove
the
pe so al
losses
caused
by
fo ced
elocatio .A
esea ch
epo t
by
the
Pio ee
I stitute
oted
that
cou ts
have
lo g
ecog ized
that
a
home
ca
have
special
value
to
its
ow e .
Losi g
a
p ope ty
ca
c eate
emotio al
pai
a d
movi g- elated
st ess
that
ca ot
be
measu ed
o
fully
epaid
with
mo ey.The
epo t
also
explai ed
that
gove me t
co dem atio
powe s
p eve t
i dividual
p ope ty
ow e s
f om
delayi g
majo
i f ast uctu e
p ojects
whe
a
pa ticula
piece
of
la d
is
eeded.
Fi di g
a othe
home
may
be
difficult
The
He dels
face
a othe
p oblem:
fi di g
a
simila
eplaceme t
home
o
Cape
Cod.Realto .com
data
showed
that
Ba stable
Cou ty
had
1,402
homes
listed
fo
sale
i
July,
with
a
media
p ice
of
$946,000.
New
co st uctio
made
up
o ly
6.1
pe ce t
of
the
available
homes.
New
homes
also
cost
a
ave age
of
$654
pe
squa e
foot,
compa ed
with
$530
pe
squa e
foot
fo
olde
p ope ties.Joel
Be e ,
a
se io
eco omist
at
Realto .com,
said
Cape
Cod
emai s
a
selle ‘s
ma ket
because
the e
a e
ot
e ough
homes
compa ed
with
the
umbe
of
buye s.
He
said
buye s
have
few
choices
a d
that
available
homes
a e
expe sive.
This
makes
ew
co st uctio
att active,
but
also
makes
the
loss
of
a
ewly
built
home
especially
difficult.Ma c
He del
is
also
wo ied
about
the
lo g-te m
fi a cial
effects
of
havi g
to
buy
a
la ge
eplaceme t
home.
He
said
that
if
the
state
p ovides
them
with
a
bigge
house,
they
could
face
highe
p ope ty
taxes
fo
the
est
of
thei
lives.
Those
ext a
costs
we e
ot
pa t
of
thei
eti eme t
pla s.
He
also
questio ed
who
would
pay
fo
the
othe
u expected
expe ses
c eated
by
the
fo ced
move.Joa
He del
had
pla ed
to
eti e
withi
two
yea s.
She
said
those
pla s
a e
ow
o
hold
a d
desc ibed
the
situatio
as
havi g
se iously
dis upted
thei
lives.
Alo g
with
the
13
homes,
Massachusetts
pla s
to
acqui e
th ee
comme cial
p ope ties
i
Rou d
Hill
so
co st uctio
of
the
ew
b idge
ca
move
fo wa d.