INDIANAPOLIS – As construction of the Red line bus rapid transit line is scheduled to begin later this year, business owners continue to fight to save their land.
Chuck Jones, who owns Moe & Johnny’s restaurant at the corner of 54th Street and College Avenue, said the $815 offer IndyGo gave him was "impossible to take seriously."
He said he’s hired a lawyer to fight back.
"It has no reality to the loss of value to my site. I mean none,” said Jones.
As IndyGo has pursued efforts to seize property via eminent domain, they’ve settled similar disputes with other businesses along the impacted corridor.
In a statement released by IndyGo, the company said:
“As of today, IndyGo has settled with 16 property owners. This process is designed to ensure public projects compensate property owners fair value for land."
Jones also said he believes the scale of the project is too large for the area.
"Envision that there is a curb now in the middle of the road. You look at this traffic going by... It isn't going to work,” said Jones.
Officials with IndyGo said they’ve worked since 2014 to gather feedback from the public and will continue to minimize the impact for neighbors and business owners.
RELATED | $50 million in federal budget for IndyGo Red Line | IndyGo announces winner of Red Line Station design | IndyGo's Red Line: Everything you need to know | Some Indy residents petitioning against Red Line
