Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Transfer topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors approve transfer of small abandoned railbed parcel to adjacent owner
Summary
Columbia County supervisors approved a resolution to transfer a 0.037-acre piece of an abandoned Boston & Albany rail bed to an adjacent homeowner, after staff said the owner supplied a survey and appraisal and will cover transfer costs.
Columbia County supervisors voted to authorize the transfer of a 0.037-acre parcel of an abandoned Boston & Albany rail bed to the adjacent homeowner who requested the conveyance. Real property staff said the owner, identified in the record as Ms. Shufel, provided a survey and an appraisal from Conquer Associates valuing the parcel at $2,800 and agreed to pay the county’s costs for preparing transfer documents.
County staff characterized the segment as unused rail property and said it abuts and completes the owner’s residential lot. “It’s an abandoned rail,” a staff member said during the meeting, noting the county has previously sold similar small parcels. Supervisors also discussed trail continuity and the practical limits of reopening the corridor, including a removed bridge upstream.
A motion to authorize the transfer was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said the transaction will still require a standard planning-board review and the county will prepare transfer documents once that step is complete.
The decision does not create county policy on future railbed sales and was presented as a one-off transfer where the owner covered survey and administrative costs. The committee did not provide a detailed sale price beyond the appraisal figure in the record and indicated the matter would proceed through the usual planning and conveyance steps.
