A Texas school district is invoking eminent domain to seize a family's century-old property in Aldine, aiming to create a parking lot for a new high school football stadium. This move has sparked a legal battle with 78-year-old homeowner Travis Upchurch, whose family has owned the land since 1905.

Upchurch's daughter, Tara, voiced her family's distress at a school board meeting, emphasizing the property's deep sentimental value. She recounted her father's childhood memories there, his marriage, and raising a family on the land, a place they never envisioned leaving.

Aldine Independent School District (ISD) offered to purchase the property last year for the $50 million stadium project, but the Upchurch family declined. The district is now resorting to eminent domain, the legal power allowing government entities to acquire private land for public use.

The Upchurch family questions the necessity of taking their property, pointing out that the current stadium rarely fills to capacity. Travis and his two children are pleading with the school district to reconsider, hoping to persuade board members as construction plans progress.

Tara expressed her shock at the district's decision to pursue eminent domain while her father still resides on the property. While she anticipated the school might eventually buy the land, she didn't expect it to happen during her father's lifetime. The family finds the situation emotionally challenging, given the home's profound sentimental significance.

Aldine ISD, in a statement, acknowledged the delicate balance between community and individual needs. They emphasized their usual practice of offering fair market value for properties before initiating eminent domain proceedings, highlighting the Upchurch family's rejection of their initial offer in 2022.

Construction on the 10,000-seat stadium began in January, with a planned opening in August 2024. It will replace a stadium built in 1979. Aldine, a town of approximately 16,000 residents, is situated in Harris County, about 10 miles from Houston.