MOUNT PLEASANT, Wisc. — A Wisconsin woman claims a $10 billion Foxconn factory could threaten her dream home.
Kimberly Mahoney says her family spent nearly $400,000 customizing their dream home. They moved in February 2017. Her house rests where the new Foxconn development will be.
Her comments come before a public hearing detailing plans, which is set for Tuesday night.
Village President Dave DeGroot, who calls the $10 billion investment a once in a generation opportunity, says the homes in the development and road improvement areas are being purchased at 140-percent market value.
But Mahoney claims her home is not in the road improvement zone where she must agree to sell. She claims the village is trying to "skirt the law" by declaring her property as a blighted area on the development site.
"This area doesn't qualify for the new definition of blight that the Wisconsin Legislature put in Chapter 32 that says the properties are dilapidated or deteriorated, or run down, or are a safety or health risk," said Mahoney.
"I don't think its fair to characterize it that we are skirting any laws," said DeGroot. "We are being very upfront, very forthright, very transparent with how we are going about this process. There is a statutory process that we follow and we'll continue to do that."
"I think they've tried to bully people and be intimidating and say this is all we're going to give you and if you don't take it you'll get less," claimed Mahoney.
"Our hope is that we'll be successful with all the land acquisition and people will be going away happy," said DeGroot.
The village attorney plans to give a presentation before public comment at 5 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Village Hall.
Mahoney showed us the seven pages of notes she plans to read aloud at the public hearing.
