Neighbor Building A Gargantuan Monstrosity

[NovaOne]

Old homes will eventually be torn down and replaced with newer larger homes. This is just how it's going to play out eventually. There's nothing inherently wrong with redevelopment. The first few new homes that goes into an old neighborhood will invariably clash somewhat with existing homes. But as older homes get replaced, eventually it will be the older homes that seem out of place.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by JanND

It sounds a bit like sour grapes to me. Why would what someone else does negatively affect your life so much?
If they can afford huge houses, so be it. You can always look for a different neighborhood, or decide that it is none of your business and continue to enjoy your own life.

The problem is due to local and Commonwealth real Estate laws, we are not privy to exactly the usage of the property. I for one do not beleive the owners will be using the customized property as a primary or secondary residence. Far more likely, they will use it as a rental property (tho' in FFX Cnty they can't have more than 4 unrelated occupants in one address),

I think they will just shove 8 groups of renters in it (not related families) and make $$ until after a long drawn-out legal process, will abandon it. I am from San Diego and we have a massive problem with these rentals, tho' they are also illegal. Generally they are rented out to illegals working in SD or those post prison. Living next to a bunch of illegals/and pedophiles aren't good neighbors. Do you want your kids playing outside there?

The other possiblity is it will be an outpatient/halfway house situation. We have a hospice care home in the townhome development nearby. Ambulances run there every 6 weeks. That TH development has an hoa but its mostly renter occupied so nothing is done about it. This gargantuan home could easily become a halfway home for 'non dangerous' criminals who are re-entering society. In San Diego, we had a problem with an outpatient permanent home assigned in an existing child filled/college kid filled community for Schizophrenic patients who could not live on their own.

Sound like good neighbors to you?

[paulbunyan]

Originally Posted by CapsChick

I went to high school (WT Woodson) with a guy who built a castle -- an actual castle -- in a residential neighborhood in Boise, ID a couple of years ago. I was able to watch the construction progress unfold via photos on Facebook. In one of the photos, the street is clearly marked "SCHOOL," so there's obviously one close by. I always wondered how the zoning laws permitted that, and how pissed the neighbors must be.

There's castle in Annanadale too. LMAO. It sits on a dead end street. Has an 8 foot wall complete with turrets too. By the intersection of Backlick and Braddock Rds I think

[foursixtwo]

Originally Posted by NovaOne

Old homes will eventually be torn down and replaced with newer larger homes. This is just how it's going to play out eventually. There's nothing inherently wrong with redevelopment. The first few new homes that goes into an old neighborhood will invariably clash somewhat with existing homes. But as older homes get replaced, eventually it will be the older homes that seem out of place.

I live in a neighborhood that is in this odd midpoint. My street literally alternates for a stretch - new, old, new, old.

Neither the new homes nor the old homes look out of place in and of themselves. However, they look funny together. The street looks awkward overall. Maybe it will be all fixed in 10 years when all of the houses are new, but folks live here today.

I don't have any particular beef with new homes - but, at least in my neighborhood, they routinely stretch the limits of what their lots can hold. That's the part that irks me. I get that they want something big and shiny and new. I want that, too! But does it HAVE to come up to the absolute last allowable inch of the property line AND be 5 stories tall? Is the new owners' quality of life really that dependent on having 4,000 sq ft instead of 3,500, to fit them and their maybe 1-2 children? It boggles the mind.

[NovaOne]

I guess it doesn't *have* to be; but because they can, and they want to, they do.

Some recent encounters of mine recently reinforced the fact there are a *LOT* of important, successful, capable people living in this area. They flood here from other parts of the country. As someone working a normal job and making a normal living, especially for those with long term roots in the area, some of their consumption habits may seem over the top. Unfortunately, one can't be demure about the size of the home they have since it's out in the open and everyone else can plainly see it. I guess it's the position of those people that they have earned their keep and what they choose to do with their property is really up to them, limited only by existing codes and by-laws if any.

Change is always disruptive.

[Kembek]

Originally Posted by CapsChick

I went to high school (WT Woodson) with a guy who built a castle -- an actual castle -- in a residential neighborhood in Boise, ID a couple of years ago. I was able to watch the construction progress unfold via photos on Facebook. In one of the photos, the street is clearly marked "SCHOOL," so there's obviously one close by. I always wondered how the zoning laws permitted that, and how pissed the neighbors must be.

Is this the castle: Boise Castle - Bank Owned - 2050 Meridian Rd, Kuna ID

[RamblingMan]

Originally Posted by foursixtwo

I live in a neighborhood that is in this odd midpoint. My street literally alternates for a stretch - new, old, new, old.

Neither the new homes nor the old homes look out of place in and of themselves. However, they look funny together. The street looks awkward overall. Maybe it will be all fixed in 10 years when all of the houses are new, but folks live here today.

I don't have any particular beef with new homes - but, at least in my neighborhood, they routinely stretch the limits of what their lots can hold. That's the part that irks me. I get that they want something big and shiny and new. I want that, too! But does it HAVE to come up to the absolute last allowable inch of the property line AND be 5 stories tall? Is the new owners' quality of life really that dependent on having 4,000 sq ft instead of 3,500, to fit them and their maybe 1-2 children? It boggles the mind.

I am generally of the opinion that what people build on their own property (within the law) is their own business, but I agree that putting a huge house on a small lot usually looks silly. When I see an oversized pseudo-French Provincial (Faux Chateau?) on a small lot, I tend to think more along the lines of "Beverly Hillbillies" or "living proof that money doesn't buy taste" than "successful" or "important."