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Author Topic: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?  (Read 20909 times)

KB4MB

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RE: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?
« Reply #30 on: July 25, 2011, 05:34:41 AM »

I am glad for property type zoning - out here in the country we are zone "residential agriculture" which provides us with low taxes and allows farming on that land.

A few years ago a gentleman bought a bunch of land on my road and wanted to get it rezoned to industrial.  He owned a blasting company and wanted to store blasting caps and explosives on the property.  He was surprised at how the entire street was against that. He had influence, but withdrew his request.

We didn't like the idea that the place was unsupervised - nobody lived on premesis and having thousands of thousands of pounds of explosives just didn't sit well with us.  Also, once zoned industrial, any industry could have moved into our area.  All of us were apprehensive because we ALL felt that this was America, and a man has a right to do with his property as he wishes.  Most of us lived out there and farmed and certainly didn't want a government, local or otherwise, to tell us how to live.

However, we all also agreed that we bought in that area specifically because there wasn't an industrial facility near it - we bought farming land, and expected as such.

So, what happened?  The gentleman built huge berms and gates.  I never saw a house built on property (I can't see anything, come to think of it), so we can only assume he built the front so you couldn't see what he was doing and just went ahead and did it anyway.

There is no moral of the story here - except people can get away with anything if they are determined to.  This kind of zoning I think was good - however, out here it wouldn't fly if you told someone how they need to live on their property (cars on blocks, weeds, etc.).  We just don't care that much - I have enough property where I can't even seee my neighbor.
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K4KWH

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RE: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?
« Reply #31 on: July 25, 2011, 12:02:25 PM »

Jim, that's quite true. I am no "expert"  nor predictor of the future, but it has turned out very well after 26 years in this location.  I didn't mind the cows; heck, I lived in the country for most of my life.  But the pasture is now empty because the owner died and his son eventually sold off the herd.  I don't think they can put cows back now (time under the grandfathering clause has expired), but another fortunate thing happened.   Well, unfortunate in one way, fortunate in another.  A nearby property of several hundred acres was wooded until a 4-lane boulevard cut thru about 10 years ago.  The owner vowed so long as he was alive, the property would be kept pristine except for periodic harvesting of timber.  His heirs, however, couldn't resist the several millions in developing the property.  We on this street "drew up" in fear of having this street becoming a thru street to the neighborhood bringing unwanted traffic and crime. We, of course, protested the development, and it fell on deaf ears.  It turned out that the  "back" access to the neighborhood was on a street a block or so away, the new neighborhood was built in such a way as to make it nigh impossible to use my street as an access to "Willow Creek", as it is now called.  The neighborhood I am in is (sort of) insulated as well as isolated from the newer "cookie cutter" neighborhood just across the woods.  So, again, I seem to be protected from further development or unwanted encroachment.  The pasture and woods serve as a sound and visual barrier to this neighborhood---A divider between my "old", but not decrepit, neighborhood and the new cookie-cutter, throw-together new!  The few "crimes" we have experienced seem to have coinicidentally begun to occur AFTER this new neighborhood was build with its mix of wealthier and (ahem) less affluent people. Prior that, crime was non-existent here!  Funny, eh?
However, my city is more lax with regard to zoning and WRT antennas.  On putting up wires and dipoles, they really don't give a rat's ***.

So while I am VERY defensive with regard to property rights and HOA's, etc, I am also fortunate that there are lots of older homes around here without what I regard as nonsense regulations, HOA's, covenants and restrictions.  I also believe the older homes such as mine are built better, and with more craftsmanship, than the slap-shot, throw-together lookalikes. The same man built this neigborhood between 1954-1960. I would be curious to see which houses are still standing 50 years hence: mine or "Willow Creek"!  IF they GAVE me one of those houses over there, I would SELL it and KEEP the one I've got!   AND my antennas! ;)
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N6DMR

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RE: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?
« Reply #32 on: July 28, 2011, 10:14:33 AM »

Where are comments from the original poster?  Looks like he disappeared.
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K1CJS

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RE: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?
« Reply #33 on: August 01, 2011, 04:24:00 AM »

That's the problem with most of these threads.  The original poster gets his question answered--or just posts to spout off--then doesn't come back.
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AD6KA

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RE: $300 for a variance hearing in my back yard?
« Reply #34 on: August 01, 2011, 12:57:09 PM »

That's the problem with most of these threads.  The original poster gets his question answered--or just posts to spout off--then doesn't come back.
Or more likely he DOESN'T get his question answered....and the thread turns into a
coder vs no-coder, contester vs ragchewer, or some other silly off topic ranting debate
which brings all the nuts out of the woodwork.
Ken,  AD6KA
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