Dominion Energy Strategic Underground Easement (houses, neighborhood, compensation)

[khyung]

http://www.dominionenergy.com/underground

Dominion Energy wants to replace above-ground powerlines with underground lines, to improve reliability and safety. By choosing strategic points based on historical failure records, Dominion Energy hopes to improve overall costs.

My house was chosen as a site, and Dominion Energy has asked me to sign an easement, for both the electricity and potential telephone wiring in the future. The easement is 15-foot width of land from the street through my backyard. In addition, an electrical transformer box 3x3x10 cubic-foot will be installed on the easement above ground near the street.

Should I grant Dominion the easement? I would allow Dominion Energy access to 15-foot strip of land impetuity to benefit my community. In addition, there shall be a transformer box on my yard by the street.

[elias9193]

Originally Posted by khyung

http://www.dominionenergy.com/underground

Dominion Energy wants to replace above-ground powerlines with underground lines, to improve reliability and safety. By choosing strategic points based on historical failure records, Dominion Energy hopes to improve overall costs.

My house was chosen as a site, and Dominion Energy has asked me to sign an easement, for both the electricity and potential telephone wiring in the future. The easement is 15-foot width of land from the street through my backyard. In addition, an electrical transformer box 3x3x10 cubic-foot will be installed on the easement above ground near the street.

Should I grant Dominion the easement? I would allow Dominion Energy access to 15-foot strip of land impetuity to benefit my community. In addition, there shall be a transformer box on my yard by the street.

Transformer box on my property and taking 15 foot strip of property hmm I don't think so, the transformer
box alone is enough to say no imo. I would entertain some kind of monetary compensation just to consider
the proposal.

[boyd888]

I guess it depends what size your property is right? You are basically giving up the right to do anything within that 15 foot strip of land beyond grass and a couple plants.



SFH home on small piece of land...not if they aren't paying you a lot for it (and they are offering zero compensation at the moment). Funny they are doing it save themselves money while paying you nothing. If you have acres of land and this box (which seems huge btw) is out of the way...perhaps it would benefit you and the community if you are losing power a lot in storms.

[Annie53]

Originally Posted by khyung

http://www.dominionenergy.com/underground

Dominion Energy wants to replace above-ground powerlines with underground lines, to improve reliability and safety. By choosing strategic points based on historical failure records, Dominion Energy hopes to improve overall costs.

My house was chosen as a site, and Dominion Energy has asked me to sign an easement, for both the electricity and potential telephone wiring in the future. The easement is 15-foot width of land from the street through my backyard. In addition, an electrical transformer box 3x3x10 cubic-foot will be installed on the easement above ground near the street.

Should I grant Dominion the easement? I would allow Dominion Energy access to 15-foot strip of land impetuity to benefit my community. In addition, there shall be a transformer box on my yard by the street.

Doing so will definitely lower the value of your home $$$.

[lvmensch]

i don't think the box is all that big. Standard neighborhood transformer is around 10 cubic feet so 3x3x1 or so. Sometime they place them on a slab below grade to lower the profile even more. A couple of bushes and it vanishes.

We have a standard shoulder easement that is around 10 feet or so where all utility lines are run. Our power to the houses comes down the street which has to be cut to access the power.

I would suggest a dicker about how wide the easement. No way they get 15 feet here. That sounds more like an alley than a utility easement. And normally you can do most anything with the easement except build on it. And you can even build on it if you get utility permission. They dig deeper and run the lines through conduit or some such. Saw them do it on a new tract where the power line comes to the tract...vanishes underground and then reappears on the other side.

Under ground power is generally an asset that increases home value. Not a lot though. And unless badly placed and poorly landscaped transformers do not impact value.

Our neighborhood is all 1/2 acre or bigger so the various utility box are almost undetectable. Only bad one is a cable box added recently that is way out in the middle of the shoulder easement at the entrance to our street. On the other hand it vastly improved our internet performance.