News, Flight 93 memorial land in dispute. (9/11, Pittsburgh, county, million)

[John1960]

PITTSBURGH - A man who owns property at the site where Flight 93 crashed has demanded millions for his portion of land where a memorial is planned, and has installed a donation box to help pay for security. The actions by Mike Svonavec have angered victims' families, who believe he is overcharging and disagree with the need for a donation box.

"That land has been paid for with 40 lives ... the donation box is an insult to that cost," said Patrick White, vice president for Families of Flight 93.

Svonavec wants $10 million for his 273-acre property in Somerset County, far more than the per-acre amount paid for nearby land, White said Tuesday. He said Svonavec told him about his asking price last July, and that he has rejected three offers from the group — the latest for more than $500,000.

Flight 93 memorial land in dispute - Yahoo! News (broken link)

[DontH8Me]

The last time I checked, this is still America (although I guess that's debatable these days). The property owner can charge whatever he pleases. It may be a bitter pill for the families of those victims to swallow, but he doesn't have to lower his price based on public opinion.

The land was not paid for with 40 lives - sorry, that's BS. The vicitims and their families didn't negotiate that deal, and the owner didn't negotiate that deal either.

I personally would not try to capitalize on this if it were my land, but this guy can't be obligated to sell low if he doesn't want to. 9/11 was a tragedy but I doubt this guy is the first one trying to make a buck off of it.

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by DontH8Me

The last time I checked, this is still America (although I guess that's debatable these days). The property owner can charge whatever he pleases. It may be a bitter pill for the families of those victims to swallow, but he doesn't have to lower his price based on public opinion.

The land was not paid for with 40 lives - sorry, that's BS. The vicitims and their families didn't negotiate that deal, and the owner didn't negotiate that deal either.

I personally would not try to capitalize on this if it were my land, but this guy can't be obligated to sell low if he doesn't want to. 9/11 was a tragedy but I doubt this guy is the first one trying to make a buck off of it.

I couldn't agree more. While I feel for the victim's families (I personally know some), I feel that many have been demanding way too much.

Imagine that...a plane crashing in your front yard, and the families of those who were on the plane decided to make a memorial, basically taking your land? Nope, not right. I don't agree.

This poor property owner has probably had to deal with more traffic, crowds, litter and media than he's ever seen in his whole life. Why can't people cut him some slack?

Remember, it's not only the victims' families that were directly affected by 9/11.