Has anyone encountered a situation like this where the utility decided to cut through the subject property to put regular power poles on it? Just spoke with the land owner and she said that the power company told her if they want to move it, they have to pay for it.
You can see on the satellite it’s not too far onto her property and there’s plenty of room to work with, but I just want to be sure this isn’t going to be a huge blackmark when I take it to market.
What’s your underlying concern about this? Will you be unable to build underneath the power lines in this section of the property? Are the power poles in the way? What’s the problem with letting the power line stay where it is?
I had this issue with the self-storage property I developed. I paid $23K for the power company to move them (it took over five months for them to do it, and it was a huge ordeal). You can see more about it here at around the 0:29 timestamp:
Reflecting back on it, it wasn’t worth the hassle. I should have left them in place and changed my design a bit. It would’ve been mildly inconvenient, but not a show-stopper.
I would imagine the only drawback of this powerline is that there’s probably an easement beneath the powerline, meaning you can’t build anything underneath or near it. You should be fine as long as there’s enough room on the parcel outside of this area where you can still build.
There is usually a utility easement when this happens. Typically these easements are that edge of the lot lines, at least with the one’s I’ve seen, and yes having power poles nearby is a plus. That means you have access to power.
The power company doesn’t put lines on a property without having an easement going through the property so putting them on the property is not them being arbitrary or capricious. You will have to pay to move any you want to move. I’ve had this occur before where the driveway needed to go where the power pole was. Just pay the money if it is worth it.
Thanks Seth! My concern is exactly that. If someone wanted to develop the property, it would be a headache to move and/or someone looking to buy it would see the location as a negative. The parcel seems good overall and there should be enough room to build a home or something else, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen lines cutting through a property like that (albeit, I’m still cutting my teeth) and I know the large transmission lines are a negative, so it made me nervous seeing that they were so far back.
Thanks Ted! I know power is generally a good thing, but I’m just trying to put myself in the end-buyer’s shoes to figure out if how far back they are could be a negative. Appreciate your insight!
It depends on the size of the property and the setbacks. The utility easement will have setbacks on top of your typical front, side, and back. Call the county to get the setbacks for all mentioned and ensure you have enough space to build. That is all I’m concerned with.
