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Property owners in Guilford County gathered Thursday to sign a petition opposing legislation that would give the railroads greater control of land along the railroad tracks.

Gibsonville Mayor Lenny Williams, who also is against the legislation, opened Town Hall for the gathering.

“They’re basically taking my property at no charge,” said Pete Goria of McLeansville. He has helped to organize opposition to House Bill 116, now in the Senate. Goria owns property, which he uses for business, along the tracks in Greensboro.

N.C. Railroad Company owns lines that pass through Guilford County and Greensboro.

Railroad representatives say the legislation will ensure that high-speed trains and new local transit lines can be built throughout the state.

Under the bill, landowners whose property is in a rail­road’s right of way — typically 100 feet on either side of the track — would have to negotiate a written agreement with the railroad before putting up new buildings or even dedicating the property as open space as part of a development deal.

Also, the railroad couldn’t be found to have abandoned a right-of-way or any parcel of land in which it holds an easement interest unless the railroad records a certificate of abandonment with the county in which the land is located.

The legislation states that railroad construction won’t impede traffic in the areas where the tracks cross “lawfully established public roads.”

The railroad raised hackles in 2006 when it tried to charge landowners rent on their own properties if buildings were in the right of way.

The parking lot of Gibsonville’s town hall building is within 100 feet of the train tracks, and the railroad tried to force the town to pay rent. Also, the town wants to replace a 2-inch water line near the railroad with a larger pipe, but the railroad told the town it must pay about $10,000 to be permitted to do the construction, Williams said.

Land owners from High Point and Oak Ridge attended Thursday’s meeting, and some participants plan to collect more signatures.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at 449-4610 or jamie.kennedy@news-record.com