Neighborhood is Gettin' Crowded

[crokett]

Saw in the news today where the county gave preliminary approval to a new shopping center. 1 million square feet of mixed-use when it is all done. The developer is applying to have the land rezoned so he can build more or less whatever he wants. It will be about 1 mile from my house if it is built.

Alex, if you've ever been to flea market on Buckhorn, that is where it is. Just for comparison, Southpoint Mall is 1.3 million. This place will be a lot like that.

[cabinetman]

There is a small city in the county called "Tamarac" that had an area that had a relocation of a road. There were no residences along this area, just a half dozen businesses, like a fast food, retirement home, and others.

A developer offered to buy up some land and build an attraction consisting of hotels, shops, etc., in order to upgrade the area and improve the property. The city seeing the money to be made from this development imposed tax assessments to the few businesses in the area to help pay for this conversion. They claimed the improvements would benefit the existing businesses.

The one I remember was a retirement home that got assessed something like $600,000. Some were more. It was a fracas, that brought havoc to these businesses that were struggling to the point that most were planning to just close down because they couldn't afford the assessment.

It was the pressure of it all that put a stop to the madness. But I see that kind of development all around here. Big business buys out what they want, and the local commissioners just see the money. Hotels, restaurant chains, and worst of all, Walgreens and CVS, opening stores every 1/4 mile.
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[Russianwolf]

And if you house falls in one of these areas they can claim it under imminent domain by claiming that the greater good of the community and city are with the redeveloped use.

There was a great house up in New England that was claimed and demolished under this guise. The owners had totally restored it to original (1940's er I beleive) condition. Gone.

Part of me is glad the housing market is like it is right now, as new construction has slowed. They were building crappy homes on less than .15 acres behind my house, less than 100ft from a major rail line. It hurt our property values as the location to the railline and the quality of construction don't get included in the appraisal, just the square footage and land amount.

[Richard in Smithville]

Here in Smithville there are three new developements putting up houses at the moment with a fourth putting in water a sewers with construction to start this summer. That doesn't include the places where they are squeezing in ten or twelve town homes. The town council is approving all this construction but they are not improving the infrastructure. Every year we are on water restrictions( no outside watering), the works budget for hiring hasn't grown, and we run on a volenteer fire department( who are already stretched). Also, the few schools we have are over crowded, and the medical clinic is not accepting any more people.

[mater]

There is so much development going on around here that it is frustrating to try to go anywhere. Some roads I just quit driving on as traffic will be backed up for miles and they put up a redlight or four way stop at every intersection now. Our beloved city & county leaders have been so involved in developing areas that they forgot they needed better and wider roads to handle the traffic problems. Talk about tunnel vision.

[L. D. Jeffries]

All of these post make me sooo' glad that we moved out of the urban madness and built way out in the country. We are a small hamlet that no one wants to try and develop anything. A blessing in some respects, but a problem in others. Everyone is on their own water and septic system. Nearest real shops are 15 to 30 miles away. However, you can leave your vehicles in the drive unmolested, half the time we never even lock the house when we go out. Just a quiet, sleepy, everyone knows everyone else little town. Never have had anything stolen, destroyed or touched in the 13 years we have lived here. Nice, really.