Grafton & Upton Railroad seeks eminent domain of 155 acres in Hopedale
Courtesy | Grafton & Upton Railroad
A train on the Grafton & Upton Railroad.
The Grafton & Upton Railroad Co. is seeking state approval to acquire by eminent domain a 155-acre property in Hopedale to build a rail yard and add track space.
In filings with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the railroad said it needs the space to build a rail yard and transloading facility, but the owner has been unwilling to sell the vacant, wooded land near Route 140 in Hopedale.
The railroad said it has invested millions of dollars over the last decade to rehabilitate the line, including expanding its Upton rail yard and adding a new facility to receive liquid propane shipments in North Grafton.
Those investments led to a 36.8% increase in rail traffic in 2018.
With further growth anticipated, the railroad said it needs additional yard and track space for transloading operations.
“Without additional property along its right-of-way for such activities, GURR will be unable to keep pace with demand,” the railroad said in a filing.
The property, owned by a trust set up by Charles Morneau of Lincoln, is the only space along the route that will work for the facility, the railroad said.
However, Morneau has been unwilling to sell the parcel despite what the railroad said was a reasonable offer.
The property abuts several residences and businesses along Route 140 to the north and east and the Mendon town line to the west and south. It was last assessed this year for $438,600.
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Interesting and disturbing information about the owner of the proposed railroad project in Hopedale. At the Selectman's meeting a couple of weeks ago, when asked about the uses, the owner of the railroad, John Delli Priscoli, casually mentioned "and possibly entertainment". No one followed up on that at the time, but with very little digging, it comes to light that Mr. Priscoli is the owner of the Thomas Land at Edaville Railroad. Thomas Land occupies 11.5 acres of land at Edaville, which means that there is plenty of room in the 155 acres for them to build a similar theme park on that land. Why would Mr. Priscoli have said "and possibly entertainment" if he did not intend to pursue such a venture??? Once they own the land, they can do ANYTHING they want because they are a railroad.
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