Fighting the good fight



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Penny S.

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http://www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=013003&ID=s1295442&cat=se ction.spokane

There is a "petition" at teh site, and there is also a place to enter editorial commentary at the
newspaper site

Spokane

Developer's plans upset West Cannon residents Neighbors accustomed to using nature trail on the
private property

Mike Prager Staff writer

The house was packed at the Woman's Club of Spokane two weeks ago. But this was no social occasion.
Scores of Cannon's Addition residents turned out to hear plans by a developer to turn a slice of
undeveloped land into exclusive home sites. The private wooded property overlooking the Latah Valley
holds a popular, but unsanctioned, recreation trail that residents have used for years. It connects
to a web of trails on city-owned conservation land farther south.

Citizens wanted answers. How could a private developer take away the trail? Instead, they heard
details of the proposed 8.47-acre development known as Ashland Estates and a discussion of the
land-use process the developer must follow to obtain city approval.

"It would have been nice if you would have come here and told us how to keep the trail," one
resident said midway through the meeting.

The meeting teetered on the edge of civility. Some in the crowd were openly hostile. At one point
the developer's attorney was shouted down by a young man.

Most of the people in the crowd were unaware the developer and co-owner was seated in the crowd
listening to the exchanges.

The developer -- Steve Smart of Ashland Estates LLC -- stood and introduced himself. His voice
sounded nervous. He said he had been receiving angry calls from residents upset about the
development and possible loss of the trail.

"I really resent it," he told the audience. "I've just been lambasted. My character has been
lambasted."

He said he thought his development would be a good thing because it would improve the property and
bring new residents to the neighborhood.

"Do I look like a rich developer who goes around raping and plundering things?" he said.

Smart is a landscape architect with Environment West and an owner of Smart Gardens, a popular
nursery at Bigelow and Argonne roads.

He bought the bluff property from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad seven years ago.

The land sat unused since the original plat was filed in 1910 with 41 homesites. A high-voltage
power line was later erected across the property.

Over the years, the land and its trail fell to the surrounding residents almost by default.

Why is it, Smart pondered aloud, that strangers act like a piece of private land is theirs when the
only permission they had to use it came from the owner not saying no?

Back in the late '90s, city parks officials were wondering themselves. Trails were being secretly
constructed without Parks Department permission. These trails line the steep slopes of city
conservation land along the bluff below High Drive to the south.

Parks officials didn't get too excited with the trail builders because the unsanctioned construction
helped stem erosion from a parade of mountain bikers who frequent the land.

The proposed Ashland Estates would be built over one of the most popular accesses to the
conservation land from the secluded intersection of 16th and Ash.

This system of trails, including the portion over Smart's property, has a passionate following in a
neighborhood ready to do battle over preserving its segment, even though it's privately owned.

Following the community meeting on Jan. 16, a newly formed group called Save Our Bluff amassed a
calling list with 300 names.

They have created a Web site at www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/ and have enlisted support of other
neighborhood groups, including two neighborhood councils and the Alliance of Neighborhoods of
Spokane County.

"There's no room for houses, yards and a trail," said Heidi Gann, an organizer of Save Our Bluff.

"Who wants to run through a development?"

This wildfire of grassroots action has sparked an activist bent in this neighborhood of older,
single-family homes. Gann said it has brought a sense of camaraderie, and this in the dead of winter
when people are more likely to be indoors.

"It's magical," she said.

The group is gearing for a land-use fight that could unfold at a public hearing later this year. The
developer is seeking to replat the parcel as well as gain approval of a planned unit development,
which would allow a private road to be built rather than a public one.

Neighbors are saying the plans call for a gated housing development, but the developer said no
decision has been made.

Smart told the audience he will look at the possibility of including a trail in the development if
it can be done safely and if it does not create a liability risk for private interests.

One resident sent the developer a letter suggesting that part of the property should be sold to
public ownership through the county's Conservation Futures program. The futures purchase would be
used to preserve the trail.

Gann and her organization want nothing of a compromise for now. "There are very few open spaces in
the city and those should be preserved forever," she said.

If anything, the Conservation Futures program should be used to buy the entire parcel, she said.

The city's two-year-old comprehensive plan calls for keeping the land as open space, but
doesn't prohibit Smart from developing it as single-family residences under its historical
zoning and platting.

An Avista power line would have to be relocated. Avista is seeking alternate routes but has filed a
condemnation lawsuit against the property to preserve the company's need to maintain the power line
in the event an alternative route cannot be found.

Aesthetic values aside, neighbors claim the land is not suitable for development. The sandy soil is
so steep in some places it poses a geologic hazard, they contend.

Already, there are erosion problems on the upper bluff, Gann said.

A development could trigger landslides, they said. Such a disaster might not only ruin any newly
built homes but could bring down existing homes higher up on the bluff along Maple Boulevard.

Gann lives in one of them, a historic Arts and Crafts jewel overlooking the proposed
development site.

The developer's consultant, Dwight Hume, said geologic studies are yet to be done, and the
scientific research should determine whether the land is suitable for construction.

Rick Dullanty, attorney for Smart, appealed to neighbors to cooperate.

"We'd like to make this a win-win for all of us, make it safe and improve the property," he said.

So far, the request is being resisted.

"We're looking for lawyers now," Gann said.

.Mike Prager can be reached at 459-5454 or by e-mail at [email protected].
 
"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
| http://www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/
|
|
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=013003&ID=s1295442&cat=se
| ction.spokane
|
| There is a "petition" at teh site, and there is also a place to enter editorial commentary at the
| newspaper site
|
| Spokane
|
| Developer's plans upset West Cannon residents Neighbors accustomed to using nature trail on the
| private property

With all due respect, Penny, the only proper course of action for these folks would be the purchase
of that property to maintain the trail. Anything else would be nothing but outside people telling an
owner what he could and could not do with his property. It truly would be a shame to lose this
trail, but the rights of property owners in this country have eroded enough. It is like the example
of people living alone on a country road near a city. The only own the plot of land their house sits
on, then a developer buys up all the surrounding land. The people living there throw a fit since
they bought the place so they could live in peace and quiet. I say, if that is what they wanted,
they should have secured more land around their home as a buffer.

Perhaps these folks could persuade the local planners that the land is more valuable to the area as
a whole in its current condition, but at least where I live, they wouldn't have a prayer considered
how this county and city are addicted to growth at all costs.

---
__o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. Nelson Binch =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 -
Release Date: 1/27/2003
 
I think what you need to do is to find some form of wildlife that will be affected if they put
structures there. Get the Green folks on you're side. They will tie things up in disputes for years.

Cleanbean

"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> http://www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/
>
>
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=013003&ID=s1295442&cat=se
> ction.spokane
>
> There is a "petition" at teh site, and there is also a place to enter editorial commentary at the
> newspaper site
>
> Spokane
>
> Developer's plans upset West Cannon residents Neighbors accustomed to using nature trail on the
> private property
>
>
> Mike Prager Staff writer
>
> The house was packed at the Woman's Club of Spokane two weeks ago. But this was no social
> occasion. Scores of Cannon's Addition residents turned out to hear plans by a developer to turn a
> slice of undeveloped land into exclusive home sites. The private wooded property overlooking the
> Latah Valley holds a popular, but unsanctioned, recreation trail that residents have used for
> years. It connects to a web of trails on city-owned conservation land farther south.
>
> Citizens wanted answers. How could a private developer take away the
trail?
> Instead, they heard details of the proposed 8.47-acre development known as Ashland Estates and a
> discussion of the land-use process the developer
must
> follow to obtain city approval.
>
> "It would have been nice if you would have come here and told us how to
keep
> the trail," one resident said midway through the meeting.
>
> The meeting teetered on the edge of civility. Some in the crowd were
openly
> hostile. At one point the developer's attorney was shouted down by a young man.
>
> Most of the people in the crowd were unaware the developer and co-owner
was
> seated in the crowd listening to the exchanges.
>
> The developer -- Steve Smart of Ashland Estates LLC -- stood and
introduced
> himself. His voice sounded nervous. He said he had been receiving angry calls from residents upset
> about the development and possible loss of the trail.
>
> "I really resent it," he told the audience. "I've just been lambasted. My character has been
> lambasted."
>
> He said he thought his development would be a good thing because it would improve the property and
> bring new residents to the neighborhood.
>
> "Do I look like a rich developer who goes around raping and plundering things?" he said.
>
> Smart is a landscape architect with Environment West and an owner of Smart Gardens, a popular
> nursery at Bigelow and Argonne roads.
>
> He bought the bluff property from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad seven years ago.
>
> The land sat unused since the original plat was filed in 1910 with 41 homesites. A high-voltage
> power line was later erected across the
property.
>
> Over the years, the land and its trail fell to the surrounding residents almost by default.
>
> Why is it, Smart pondered aloud, that strangers act like a piece of
private
> land is theirs when the only permission they had to use it came from the owner not saying no?
>
> Back in the late '90s, city parks officials were wondering themselves. Trails were being secretly
> constructed without Parks Department
permission.
> These trails line the steep slopes of city conservation land along the
bluff
> below High Drive to the south.
>
> Parks officials didn't get too excited with the trail builders because the unsanctioned
> construction helped stem erosion from a parade of mountain bikers who frequent the land.
>
> The proposed Ashland Estates would be built over one of the most popular accesses to the
> conservation land from the secluded intersection of 16th
and
> Ash.
>
> This system of trails, including the portion over Smart's property, has a passionate following in
> a neighborhood ready to do battle over preserving its segment, even though it's privately owned.
>
> Following the community meeting on Jan. 16, a newly formed group called
Save
> Our Bluff amassed a calling list with 300 names.
>
> They have created a Web site at www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/ and have
enlisted
> support of other neighborhood groups, including two neighborhood councils and the Alliance of
> Neighborhoods of Spokane County.
>
> "There's no room for houses, yards and a trail," said Heidi Gann, an organizer of Save Our Bluff.
>
> "Who wants to run through a development?"
>
> This wildfire of grassroots action has sparked an activist bent in this neighborhood of older,
> single-family homes. Gann said it has brought a
sense
> of camaraderie, and this in the dead of winter when people are more likely to be indoors.
>
> "It's magical," she said.
>
> The group is gearing for a land-use fight that could unfold at a public hearing later this year.
> The developer is seeking to replat the parcel as well as gain approval of a planned unit
> development, which would allow a private road to be built rather than a public one.
>
> Neighbors are saying the plans call for a gated housing development, but
the
> developer said no decision has been made.
>
> Smart told the audience he will look at the possibility of including a
trail
> in the development if it can be done safely and if it does not create a liability risk for private
> interests.
>
> One resident sent the developer a letter suggesting that part of the property should be sold to
> public ownership through the county's Conservation Futures program. The futures purchase would
> be used to
preserve
> the trail.
>
> Gann and her organization want nothing of a compromise for now. "There are very few open spaces in
> the city and those should be preserved forever," she said.
>
> If anything, the Conservation Futures program should be used to buy the entire parcel, she said.
>
> The city's two-year-old comprehensive plan calls for keeping the land as open space, but doesn't
> prohibit Smart from developing it as single-family residences under its historical zoning and
> platting.
>
>
> An Avista power line would have to be relocated. Avista is seeking
alternate
> routes but has filed a condemnation lawsuit against the property to
preserve
> the company's need to maintain the power line in the event an alternative route cannot be found.
>
> Aesthetic values aside, neighbors claim the land is not suitable for development. The sandy soil
> is so steep in some places it poses a geologic hazard, they contend.
>
> Already, there are erosion problems on the upper bluff, Gann said.
>
> A development could trigger landslides, they said. Such a disaster might
not
> only ruin any newly built homes but could bring down existing homes higher up on the bluff along
> Maple Boulevard.
>
> Gann lives in one of them, a historic Arts and Crafts jewel overlooking
the
> proposed development site.
>
> The developer's consultant, Dwight Hume, said geologic studies are yet to
be
> done, and the scientific research should determine whether the land is suitable for construction.
>
> Rick Dullanty, attorney for Smart, appealed to neighbors to cooperate.
>
> "We'd like to make this a win-win for all of us, make it safe and improve the property," he said.
>
> So far, the request is being resisted.
>
> "We're looking for lawyers now," Gann said.
>
>
> .Mike Prager can be reached at 459-5454 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
 
> With all due respect, Penny, the only proper course of action for these folks would be the
> purchase of that property to maintain the trail.

Yep; the trail users have been getting off scott free for years with the property owner paying the
taxes and giving them unrestricted access - which exposes him to huge liability as well. So, IMHO
this is not a "good" fight. It sucks that you lose some trails, but as Nelson said, either buy it or
let the owner use his property as he sees fit.
 
Nelson Binch wrote:
> "Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> http://www.lsw.org/saveourbluff/
>> > With all due respect, Penny, the only proper course of action for
> these folks would be the purchase of that property to maintain the trail. Anything else would be
> nothing but outside people telling an owner what he could and could not do with his property. It
> truly would be a shame to lose this trail, but the rights of property owners in this country have
> eroded enough.

We have a conservation futures program set aside just for stuff like this... this is the route I'm
hoping that will be taken. I don't advocate "robbing" a property owner. However, the developers have
a nasty habit around here of trying to sneak things in without proper public input. What a lot of us
would like to see if a program like Boise has, of purchasing the open space and ridge lines to
preserve it. There's not much left here, and the county and city government seem to be in the
developer's pockets. Or, I"d be happy to just the accesses maintained... a lot of public (city/
county) land here get's it's accesses closed off by (IMO) thoughtless development.

I wish I had some photos.. if nothing else this area is very unstable, There was big expensive
development put in, same area about 4 miles down the creek that now has the back yards of all these
$500K homes eroding into the creek. What hilarious is that anyone with a soil/geologic background
can see it's cutting bank of a active creek, really stupid place to build. Of course the lawyers are
having a field day.

point taken.

Penny
 
John Harlow wrote:
>> With all due respect, Penny, the only proper course of action for these folks would be the
>> purchase of that property to maintain the trail.
>
> Yep; the trail users have been getting off scott free for years with the property owner paying the
> taxes and giving them unrestricted access - which exposes him to huge liability as well. So, IMHO
> this is not a "good" fight. It sucks that you lose some trails, but as Nelson said, either buy it
> or let the owner use his property as he sees fit.

see my reply to Nelseon re:the conservation futures program here.
 
"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> John Harlow wrote:
> >> With all due respect, Penny, the only proper course of action for these folks would be the
> >> purchase of that property to maintain the trail.
> >
> > Yep; the trail users have been getting off scott free for years with the property owner paying
> > the taxes and giving them unrestricted access - which exposes him to huge liability as well. So,
> > IMHO this is not a "good" fight. It sucks that you lose some trails, but as Nelson said, either
> > buy it or let the owner use his property as he sees fit.
>
> see my reply to Nelseon re:the conservation futures program here.

Just did that; sounds like a good idea. I hope things can work out well for all involved.
 
"Cleanbean" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I think what you need to do is to find some form of wildlife that will be affected if they put
> structures there. Get the Green folks on you're
side.
> They will tie things up in disputes for years.
>
> Cleanbean

No can do. Then they'll fence it off as a "Green Area" so you can gaze lovingly at it from behind
the barriers as not to upset the balance.

Lance
 
"Nelson Binch" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> Anything else would be nothing but outside people telling an owner what he could and could not do
> with his property. It truly would be a shame to lose this trail, but the rights of property owners
> in this country have eroded enough.

One might argue the merits of this particular case. Just because a piece of land has gotten popular
with the local community as a "nature" area doesn't mean it belongs to the community outright.
However, if you read the website that Penny provided, the landowner is looking to the city for a
giveaway of an easment for a PUBLIC road so the land can be turned into a suburban fortress, aka a
"gated community". Furthermore, the preferred solution being proposed here is to buy the land from
the owner on behalf of the public.

All that aside, this whole idea that "the rights of property owner in this country have eroded
enough" is pure horseshit. People in this country do not have the unrestricted right to do whatever
they wish with their property. They never have. This is what zoning laws, mineral rights,
architectural codes, environmental regulations, etc. etc. etc. are all about. Sometimes this stuff
goes overboard, but when it does it is often the suburban developers who are responsible, not the
government. I have a friend who is a Chinese immigrant living in a suburb in Oklahoma who is in
constant trouble with her neighbors because she doesn't cut her lawn often enough. They've been
taking pictures of her yard and filing complaints with the board for the development, who has the
power to fine her over her ****ing lawn. She says it's just like the cultural revolution, except her
neighbors are spying on her because of her shrubs rather than her political activity. At least she
appreciates the irony.

I often lament the fact that we don't have land use laws like the Brits, protecting public rights of
way on private land. In England, by and large, you can't shut down a trail going across your land
just because you own the land. The trail that was there before the land owner (often for hundreds of
years) has more "rights" than somebody who takes temporary posession of it for a half century or so.
This is as it should be.

CC
 
Corvus Corvax wrote:
> "Nelson Binch" <[email protected]> wrote
>>
>> Anything else would be nothing but outside people telling an owner what he could and could not do
>> with his property. It truly would be a shame to lose this trail, but the rights of property
>> owners in this country have eroded enough.
>
> One might argue the merits of this particular case. Just because a piece of land has gotten
> popular with the local community as a "nature" area doesn't mean it belongs to the community
> outright. However, if you read the website that Penny provided, the landowner is looking to the
> city for a giveaway of an easment for a PUBLIC road so the land can be turned into a suburban
> fortress, aka a "gated community". Furthermore, the preferred solution being proposed here is to
> buy the land from the owner on behalf of the public.
>

I'm wondering if Paladin might be willing to dig up some links on what Boise has done to preserve
it's open space and green space. I mean, what are the conservation futures good for if not buying
land like this piece?

penny
 
> I have a friend who is a Chinese immigrant living in a suburb in Oklahoma who is in constant
> trouble with her neighbors because she doesn't cut her lawn often enough. They've been taking
> pictures of her yard and filing complaints with the board for the development, who has the power
> to fine her over her ****ing lawn.

She might live in an area with "restrictive covenants". They have become quite popular nowadays;
mainly because of the actions like those of your "less than conscientious" friend. And they make
sense, too. Not only is she devaluing her yard, she's affecting the value (aesthetically and
monetarily) of those around it. I'm sure if you were her neighbor and she moved in and let the place
go to ****, you wouldn't be exactly pleased about it. If there are covenants there, she likely even
signed a contract to them.

> She says it's just like the cultural revolution, except her neighbors are spying on her because of
> her shrubs rather than her political activity. At least she appreciates the irony.

No; they are simply trying to protect their investment. You might want to explain this to her.

> I often lament the fact that we don't have land use laws like the Brits, protecting public rights
> of way on private land. In England, by and large, you can't shut down a trail going across your
> land just because you own the land. The trail that was there before the land owner (often for
> hundreds of years) has more "rights" than somebody who takes temporary possession of it for a half
> century or so. This is as it should be.

Actually there might be a way still... check out "EASEMENTS ACQUIRED BY USE OF PROPERTY" on
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/lat06.htm
 
John Harlow wrote:
>> I have a friend who is a Chinese immigrant living in a suburb in Oklahoma who is in constant
>> trouble with her neighbors because she doesn't cut her lawn often enough. They've been taking
>> pictures of her yard and filing complaints with the board for the development, who has the power
>> to fine her over her ****ing lawn.
>
> She might live in an area with "restrictive covenants". They have become quite popular nowadays;
> mainly because of the actions like those of your "less than conscientious" friend. And they make
> sense, too. Not only is she devaluing her yard, she's affecting the value (aesthetically and
> monetarily) of those around
> it. I'm sure if you were her neighbor and she moved in and let the place go to ****, you wouldn't
> be exactly pleased about it. If there are covenants there, she likely even signed a contract
> to them.

We made the realtor dig them out on our house that we bought in an older development. Most of our
neighbors don't even know that our plat has them it's so old. Fortunately they only prohibit
livestock and junkyards. None of this landscaping and house color approval. Some areas restrict the
kind of swing set you can put up for your kids. You really need to be careful these days. Unless you
live in a shack in the boonies somewhere.

penny
 
"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> John Harlow wrote:
> >> I have a friend who is a Chinese immigrant living in a suburb in Oklahoma who is in constant
> >> trouble with her neighbors because she doesn't cut her lawn often enough. They've been taking
> >> pictures of her yard and filing complaints with the board for the development, who has the
> >> power to fine her over her ****ing lawn.
> >
> > She might live in an area with "restrictive covenants". They have become quite popular nowadays;
> > mainly because of the actions like those of your "less than conscientious" friend. And they make
> > sense, too. Not only is she devaluing her yard, she's affecting the value (aesthetically and
> > monetarily) of those around
> > it. I'm sure if you were her neighbor and she moved in and let the place go to ****, you
> > wouldn't be exactly pleased about it. If there are covenants there, she likely even signed
> > a contract to them.
>
> We made the realtor dig them out on our house that we bought in an older development. Most of our
> neighbors don't even know that our plat has them it's so old. Fortunately they only prohibit
> livestock and junkyards. None of this landscaping and house color approval. Some areas restrict
> the kind of swing set you can put up for your kids. You really need to be careful these days.
> Unless you live in a shack in the boonies somewhere.

Smart for you to check out beforehand! Yup, they can be real restrictive. I was seriously
considering a house a few months ago when I asked for the development's covenants. NO detached
structures AT ALL allowed (this includes swing sets, carports, _sand boxes_ etc). Loo dee chris.
 
"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote
>
> We made the realtor dig them out on our house that we bought in an older development. Most of our
> neighbors don't even know that our plat has them it's so old. Fortunately they only prohibit
> livestock and junkyards. None of this landscaping and house color approval. Some areas restrict
> the kind of swing set you can put up for your kids. You really need to be careful these days.
> Unless you live in a shack in the boonies somewhere.
>

That's why i will NOT live in a subD with an HOA. Idiots. Friend of mine lives in one...the mailbox
has to be the same as all the others...the doghouse paint & roof has to match the house, etc, etc.

There's also a guy that lives in an area that disallows trucks with signs on them. He has to park
his work truck in back. He owns the company.

Pete
 
"L Hays" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Cleanbean" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I think what you need to do is to find some form of wildlife that will
be
> > affected if they put structures there. Get the Green folks on you're
> side.
> > They will tie things up in disputes for years.
> >
> > Cleanbean
>
> No can do. Then they'll fence it off as a "Green Area" so you can gaze lovingly at it from behind
> the barriers as not to upset the balance.
>
I don't think there is any real wildlife on High Drive. I've never seen any.

Glenn D.
 
"John Harlow" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> She might live in an area with "restrictive covenants". They have become quite popular nowadays;
> mainly because of the actions like those of your "less than conscientious" friend.

Which is why I wrote (and you omitted to quote), "Sometimes this stuff goes overboard, but when it
does it is often the suburban developers who are responsible, not the government."

> And they make sense, too. Not only is she devaluing her yard, she's affecting the value
> (aesthetically and monetarily) of those around it. I'm sure if you were her neighbor and she moved
> in and let the place go to ****, you wouldn't be exactly pleased about it.

Sorry. I have better things to do than spy on my neighbors' lawns. Besides, I thought I could do
whatever I want with my land!

> No; they are simply trying to protect their investment. You might want to explain this to her.

But I thought I could do whatever I want with my land!

(Of course not. But, then, that was my whole point in the first place. I suggest you check your
reading comprehension circuits.)

CC
 
> > And they make sense, too. Not only is she devaluing her yard, she's affecting the value
> > (aesthetically and monetarily) of those around it.
I'm
> > sure if you were her neighbor and she moved in and let the place go to
****,
> > you wouldn't be exactly pleased about it.
>
> Sorry. I have better things to do than spy on my neighbors' lawns. Besides, I thought I could do
> whatever I want with my land!

You seem to be a little "new" to this whole home ownership stuff. The fact of the matter is;
depending where you buy, no - you *can't* do whatever you want with your land. You sign statements
acknowledging this when you buy the place. This has the benefit of keeping the neighborhood
consistent and up to minimal standards -and assuring your investment (which is usually high in
these subdivisions) remains intact. If you don't like these restrictions, live somewhere else.
Pretty simple.

However, regardless of where you live, your mortgage lender expects their secured property (your
land) to maintain it's value. They've had bad experiences with deadbeat slobs. So, restrictive
covenants or not, if you let your house and property to go to ****, your lender can "accelerate the
loan" (make you pay it off NOW). And that can be a bad thing too.

> > No; they are simply trying to protect their investment. You might want
to
> > explain this to her.
>
> But I thought I could do whatever I want with my land!
>
> (Of course not. But, then, that was my whole point in the first place. I suggest you check your
> reading comprehension circuits.)

My reading comprehension is fine; I'm just trying to help you understand why you sometimes can't do
"whatever you want" with your land.
 
"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Corvus Corvax wrote:
> > "Nelson Binch" <[email protected]> wrote
> >>
> >> Anything else would be nothing but outside people telling an owner what he could and could not
> >> do with his property. It truly would be a shame to lose this trail, but the rights of property
> >> owners in this country have eroded enough.
> >
> > One might argue the merits of this particular case. Just because a piece of land has gotten
> > popular with the local community as a "nature" area doesn't mean it belongs to the community
> > outright. However, if you read the website that Penny provided, the landowner is looking to the
> > city for a giveaway of an easment for a PUBLIC road so the land can be turned into a suburban
> > fortress, aka a "gated community". Furthermore, the preferred solution being proposed here is to
> > buy the land from the owner on behalf of the public.
> >
>
> I'm wondering if Paladin might be willing to dig up some links on what Boise has done to preserve
> it's open space and green space. I mean, what are the conservation futures good for if not buying
> land like this piece?
>
> penny

Well, we have a lot of good things going for us. One, is our BLM director for the state is an avid
mountainbiker. Another is that our economy is finally stagnating after 10 years of absurd gonzo
growth, so the pressure to expand up into our foothills has slackened dramatically. Another still is
more than 70% of our state is already official "hands-off" wilderness. We're also pretty well
organized when it comes to defeding our world-class trail system and quality of outdoors life.

You get folks all across the spectrum coming together to stop the developers and city do-gooders.
(Right-wing, "America, love it or leave it" pickup driving, short-haired conservationists like me
linking arms with latte-sipping, pony-tailed euro-trash gay roadies is always worth a photo.)

The last stunt they tried to pull around here was to pave "8th Street" a dirt road that goes up
about 3,600' to our ridge road, and is the major tributary for half the trails in this part of the
Boise front. we shut that stupidity down hard.

Petitions, letters to the editor, overwhelming turnout at P&Z and City Council meetings, phone
blitzes, lobbying hard and smart, etc. are the traditional ways to keep the status quo from going
down the shitter. You can probably find green-friendly lawyers who can help coordinate your efforts.

Like Mark Twain said,

fight like you mean it Paladin
 
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