MILTON, Del. - A Delaware Superior Court jury has awarded more than $5 million to landowners whose property was taken by the Delaware Department of Transportation for construction at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 16.
The land, a 4.2-acre parcel located at the southeastern corner of the intersection adjacent to The Rookery golf course, was seized by the state through eminent domain in 2021. The property owned by PITB LLC includes a 0.2525-acre easement owned by Stafford Street Capital LLC.
DelDOT had initially offered $1.48 million for the land and $144,700 for the easement, claiming those figures reflected the highest appraisals of fair market value available. However, the owners refused the offer, triggering a formal condemnation proceeding.
The landowners were represented by attorneys from Brockstedt Mandalas Federico. They enlisted the help of land-appraisal experts who valued the property at $5.25 million. The jury ultimately sided with their assessment, awarding $5.015 million to the owners, more than three times DelDOT’s original offer.
The seized property is now being used for DelDOT’s ongoing project to build a split road overpass at the intersection. The southbound bridge was recently completed.