UNION GROVE — A Racine County judge ruled Thursday that the Union Grove Union High School district has the authority to take immediate possession of 80 acres of land owned by a neighboring landowner — once it pays a jurisdictional offer of $2.4 million to the clerk of courts.
The ruling comes after a lengthy court battle over the district's effort to acquire the land through eminent domain.
The property is currently owned by Daniel Riedel, who says he is frustrated with how the process has played out.
"I struggle with the abuse of eminent domain on this piece," said Riedel, who lives in Illinois and currently rents the property to a farmer and a tenant.
Watch: Landowner expresses frustration following court ruling in Union Grove High School eminent domain proceedings
"You're dealing from a very weak position. I have no position of strength to deal when you have a law like this," he said.
Riedel originally purchased 116 acres of land in 2004 for $2.7 million as an investment property for himself and his family. The district is seeking 80 of those acres.
"It's just difficult to see why we've come to this point. But I can't do anything much about it," Riedel said.
Riedel says he tried to bring the district to the table to resolve the dispute without further legal action — and even offered to donate land to the district.
"The whole thing could get resolved without even going any further, but I could never bring them to the table," Riedel said.
"I'll donate the land, and I'll donate enough land for your parking and whatever more, baseball fields, whatever you need," Riedel said.
"I think it's unfortunate that he feels like this was done poorly," District Administrator Thomas Johnson told TMJ4.
"From the district's perspective, we followed all of the rules for eminent domain," he said. "And when you look at it, if a public entity is going to purchase private property from an individual, there's a reason eminent domain is written into our law. It's the most appropriate way to do it. It protects the landowner."
The district originally offered $1.3 million for the land. That case, filed in 2024, was withdrawn by the district in March 2025. In court documents, the district says the withdrawal was an effort to provide "just compensation for an eminent domain acquisition of private property." The district then filed the most recent case in November 2025.
"And now it seems to be more urgent than before," Riedel said.
Riedel says the acquisition represents a significant loss for not only his family but also the larger Union Grove community in terms of lost potential development.
"That's a lot of building that is gone away from the community and consumers and from my children and family," Riedel said.
For the district, the ruling is a victory and a chance to move forward on work connected to its $34.9 million capital referendum, which voters passed in 2024. A map from the district shows the proposed land acquisition may be used for a new road and parking lot, baseball fields, and cross-country trails.
Johnson said more important than improved facilities is "alleviating a dangerous traffic pattern that all of Union Grove is dealing with," as the school has limited parking and is located along Highway 45.
Distict data indicates that at the time of the referendum vote, there had been 36 personal injuries due to vehicular collisions and 210 vehicular collisions "in the immediate vicinity of Union Grove Union High School" since 2018.
More hearings are scheduled in the coming months, where a condemnation commission is expected to set a final price for Riedel's 80 acres.
Riedel indicated he is unsure what he will do with his remaining 36 acres, which contain a house that is currently being rented, as he feels his land's development potential has been diminished.
"I don't know what I'll do with the remainder at this juncture, but that's not really on the top of my list," he said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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