County Wins Right to Take Michigan Family’s Lakeside Cottage for Park

Imagine owning a lakeside cottage that’s been in your family for more than 60 years, only to have the county step in and force you to sell it.

That’s what a Michigan family has been fighting for years in Kalamazoo County.

Kalamazoo County Wants to Take Family’s Cottage for Park

Here’s the part that really gets under my skin. According to MLive, the cottage sits on about a third of an acre along Gourdneck Lake, and the family built it in 1962, one year before Prairie View County Park even opened. In other words, the family was there first.

Today, the park completely surrounds the property, and apparently that’s not enough for Kalamazoo County. The county wants the cottage and the land too.

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The family was offered $320,000 but didn’t want to sell. You would think that would be the end of it. Their property, their decision, right? Nope.

Not when eminent domain is involved. That means the government can legally force someone to sell private property if it says the land is needed for public use, such as a road, school, utility project, or in this case, a public park.

After the family turned down the offer, the county started the legal process to force them to sell. All so the property can become part of a park that’s already been there for more than 60 years.

Michigan Court Says County Can Take Family’s Cottage

This fight has been going on for more than four years, and unfortunately, the latest ruling didn’t go the family’s way.

On September 11, the Michigan Court of Appeals sided with Kalamazoo County, agreeing that the county has the right to take the property for public use.

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I can’t even imagine how frustrating that must be. This cottage has been in their family for generations, and now someone else gets to decide what happens to it. Unbelievable.

It’s unclear if the family plans to keep fighting, but at this point, they could be forced to give it up. All because the county wants to add it to a park that already completely surrounds the property. I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t sit right with me.

You can check out photos of the cottage on MLive.