Rowlett City offered $429,000 to the Willis family to acquire their 1962 home on Chiesa Road, but the family declined the offer, sparking a legal challenge that may postpone the city’s widening plan.
Roy Willis, a fourth‑generation resident, said the house—built by him, his father and brother—has been the family’s anchor for 64 years, and its loss would mean the end of a lineage that began when the area was still cotton fields.
The city’s plan is to convert Chiesa Road into a four‑lane divided roadway between Dalrock and Miller Roads, a project that requires 90 feet of right‑of‑way and will cut the Willis property in half, according to the city council minutes.
The family argues the city’s valuation ignores a major development within 1,000 feet that has pushed comparable property values to $579,000, and they claim the $429,000 offer is $150,000 below fair market value.
"We cannot accept a price that ignores the surrounding market," Roy said, while his brother Timothy, who has a fixed income, expressed "sadness" at the prospect of losing the home, a sentiment echoed by neighbors who fear a ripple effect on older families.
The dispute will be heard by a district court next month, after the city issued a 30‑day deadline for acceptance; an outcome could set precedent for future eminent‑domain cases in the county.