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Kingsbury business owner urges La Porte County RDC to secure Hupp Road easements
Summary
Jeff Johnson, owner of Kingsbury Utility, told the Redevelopment Commission the Kingsbury intermodal area lacks road access despite a reported $6 million investment and asked the commission to obtain easements or ownership so the site can attract major employers.
Jeff Johnson, owner of Kingsbury Utility, told the La Porte County Redevelopment Commission during public comment that the Kingsbury intermodal project lacks legal road access and that property owners have not conveyed easements or ownership to the county despite more than $6 million in local investment.
"We literally have no access to it," Johnson said, urging the commission to "get some momentum" and secure the easement or ownership necessary to allow heavy industrial users to access the site. He said surveys were done in earlier years and that some landowners have been asked to deed easements to the county.
Commissioners responded that staff and legal counsel have been working to finalize easements. One commissioner said the commission is "finalizing all the easements" and that they are close to completion, and another noted a final surveyor payment was pending. The commission did not adopt a separate motion at the time to change ownership; instead, members described ongoing outreach to property owners and planned follow-up actions.
Johnson said the absence of clear county ownership or easements creates liability and practical barriers — he described plowing a section of Hupp Road himself and owning a portion of a private bridge he cannot insure. He argued that securing easements or county ownership is a prerequisite for attracting large employers who will examine site access before committing large investments.
The commission later discussed sending registered letters to owners in Kingsbury asking them to donate easements and indicated those letters and a cover letter explaining responsibilities would go out later that month. A separate agenda item sought authorization to pursue appraisals and possible conveyance of county-owned property in Kingsbury so the RDC could more readily manage and dispose of parcels needed for access improvements.
The commission did not announce a timetable for when fuller legal conveyance would be completed; members said they would continue outreach and return to the item in future meetings.
