A Rowlett family that has lived on the same stretch of land since 1962 is pushing back against the city's attempt to acquire their property through eminent domain for a road widening project, saying the compensation offered falls far short of what their home and land are worth. Roy Willis and Tim Willis say their family has owned the property for more than six decades, and they are not willing to simply hand it over.
Roy Willis told CBS Texas, “We moved here in 1962. This was undeveloped farmland,” adding that his family was among those who settled the area before it grew into the suburb it is today. The city says Chiesa Road has become too narrow to handle current traffic flow and plans to widen it as part of the Chiesa Road improvement and expansion project, which is intended to add infrastructure and accommodate traffic in the growing area, according to the same report. Willis said the project would claim 40 feet of the family's land, telling the station, “They're gonna take 40 feet, 40 feet is going to stand right here.”
A Home Built for Generations
The Willis family home has served as a gathering place for family celebrations, holidays and milestones over the decades, and Tim Willis, who lives there and has a disability, says the proposed compensation would not be enough to purchase another home and rebuild. CBS Texas reports the city wants to tear down the Willis house for the public road expansion. Tim Willis said flatly that the family will fight to keep it.
Money is at the center of the dispute. The city offered the family $295,000 in October, according to Spectrum News, which the family rejected. CBS Texas separately reports that a final letter from the city offered the family $429,000, which the family also turned down; the available record does not make clear how the two figures relate to one another. The Willis family says the city's offer falls about $150,000 short of the amount they are seeking, and they believe the offers are well below the market value of comparable land nearby.
A Shrinking Offer, By the Family's Account
Roy Willis said the 2026 commercial offer the family received is actually lower than a residential appraisal the family got back in 2023. The family says the current offer simply does not adequately compensate them for a home that has anchored their family for generations.
Eminent domain law allows government entities to acquire private property for public use so long as owners receive adequate compensation. Per Clint Schumacher, an eminent domain attorney with Dawson & Sodd PLLC, the Texas Constitution, adopted in 1876, protects property owners' right to adequate compensation for property taken, damaged or destroyed by government. Schumacher said determining appropriate compensation can be difficult, noting that bringing together the price of compensation is always a challenge.
City Stays Quiet as Legal Options Loom
The City of Rowlett has declined to comment on the dispute, citing pending litigation, and has said it does not comment on pending or anticipated litigation, including matters involving eminent domain proceedings. The city may pursue an eminent domain lawsuit if negotiations with the Willis family fail to produce an agreement.
Rowlett has been down this legal road before. In 2019, the Supreme Court of Texas affirmed summary judgment for the city in KMS Retail Rowlett, LP v. City of Rowlett, a case involving the city's bid to take a private-road easement and convert it to a public road connecting several commercial retail and restaurant sites. The court held that the taking was necessary for a constitutional public use, though that case involved different facts from the residential dispute now facing the Willis family.
For now, the Willis family says it is prepared to keep fighting to hold on to their family home. Tim Willis said the family will not back down from the fight, even as the city weighs its next legal move.
