Living on a lakefront property was Tony Matusicky’s dream when he purchased his Cuyahoga County home. The house backed directly up to a picturesque lake and featured a massive patio with steps that led down to the dock, giving him and his wife easy access to the water in the summers.
But that dream took a devastating turn when Matusicky received a letter in the fall of 2025 telling him that he had been encroaching on Metroparks property, according to local ABC News station News 5 Cleveland. While Matusicky says he originally thought the letter was a mistake, he quickly found out that the park service was right, and several yards of property he had believed to be his actually belonged to them.
At the heart of the loss are the steps that Matusicky says he needs in order to access the lake from his home, which was one of the biggest selling points of the property.
Now, he’s telling his story through tears as he hopes for a miracle for himself.
He Says He Has the Nicest Backyard in Berea
While Matusicky doesn’t think his house deserves any prizes, he does believe that his yard is the nicest in his neighborhood. “Where do you find a piece of property like this in Cuyahoga County,” he asked the reporter while showing off his view.
And what a view it is! The house looks out on the massive lake, which he and his wife use to kayak and relax in. But the letter last fall changed everything, and after hiring a surveyor, Matusicky says he’s left heartbroken. “I can’t believe I’m going to get emotional that something’s being taken away that we cherished about this house,” he said as tears welled up in his eyes.
Matusicky and 269 of his Neighbors Got the Same Letter
A spokesperson from Metroparks shared a statement with News 5 Cleveland, revealing that Matusicky wasn’t the only one who was accused of encroaching on the 3,500-acres of Mill Stream Run’s property.
The homeowners have been given until August 15 to remove any of their property that has been set up on Mill Stream Run’s land, including Matusicky’s steps and dock. However, the statement did add that the group was “willing to work on a reasonable timeline for removal, provided progress continues toward resolving the encroachment.”
For his part, Matusicky says he’s just hoping that someone will intervene so that he doesn’t have to lose the thing he loves most about his home.
Property Surveys Are Important When You Buy a Home
Having a surveyor come out before he purchased the lake house to determine the property lines would’ve saved both Matusicky and Metroparks a lot of trouble. According to the homeowner, he received a call from the group after getting the letter.
“They called me up and said, ‘yeah Tony, we need permission to cross your property to get to our property,'” Matusicky recalled. “I said don’t you find that kind of ironic that you can’t get to your property without going through my property?”
According to Angi’s List, a land survey could cost between $800 and $5,500 per acre, depending on a few different variables. Those fees can also change due to how much research the survey takes, as well as the terrain.
It’s hard to know whether Matusicky still would’ve bought the home if he had known exactly where his property lines ran all those years ago, but at least he would’ve been better prepared to find out that the steps he used to get to the lake weren’t guaranteed to be there forever.