Nobody wants to live next to something that pulls down the value of their neighborhood. So zoning was invented to try and help adjoining properties be compatible with each other. Problems almost always arise when the neighboring properties usage changes. For example, if somebody builds a development of expensive $750,000 houses next to an acreage-style country home, there might be conflicts.
Both land owners have the right to do what they want with their land. The developer has the right to build expensive houses, and the acreage country home owner has the right to keep their acreage country home. But if those rights conflict with each other, then somebody has to decide who's right allowed and whos is not.
In this example, those two uses can cause problems for each other - like the expensive homeowners wanting paved roads and the acreage owner not wanting to pay the assessment for a paved road. The expensive homeowners wanting a quiet, peaceful place to live, and the acreage homeowner enjoying an early-morning duck-hunt on their property with shotguns at 5 AM. The expensive homeowners not wanting their property value to go down due to the view of rusty, junky-looking equipment and decaying buildings across the street, and the acreage owner thinking that the equipment, although rusty is still useful, and the buildings are just fine for the animals.
The zoning regs try and resolve those conflicts.
The zoning boards often have to decide things one way or the other. Unfortunately for the established land owners, they often decide in the direction of "progress" and "economic development". This means the new development wins and the existing land owners lose.
There are ways to fight these types of things. Legally and also in the forum of public opinion. It only takes a few stories in the paper of how the mayor is taking land from somebody's grandma and giving it to the greedy developers for the mayor to not get re-elected (and thus his boards not re-appointed).
Its a lot harder to fight the process after its too late. Go to every board meeting and every town meeting. Demand copies of all the documents. Definitely talk to a lawyer. I agree with the previous poster that many people don't get involved. The board might not even know that there are people negatively affected by their actions!
Make it clear that if the zoning is intended to solve problem A (contractors parking backhoes in front of their 1/4 acre lots in residential neighborhoods) and you are colleterally effected, but not directly causing problem A (you have a backhoe on a 3 acre lot), there should be an exemption.
If they won't budge on including an ag designation in a township, suggest that the zoning orinance include provisions for a larger, "acreage" residential designation with less restrictions. In many areas, the larger "acreage" developments are seen as the most premium and exclusive neighborhoods of all (watch out for the tax half of this, though).
There are also less-than honerable board members, trustees, and township governers, mayors, etc. These people might have vested interests in the development they are trying to "promote". This is a much harder problem to deal with. Your best bet is to expose them for what they are and hope that they are not re-elected. Dig up the land records of who owns what. Find out who is a business associate of who. Write a column in the opinion page and present your findings (be truthful - don't get sued for libel!).
The weapon of choice these days to defend your land is not a gun, but a pen, a phone, a newspaper article, a lawyer, and some good old fashioned talking to your neighbors.
- Rick
Both land owners have the right to do what they want with their land. The developer has the right to build expensive houses, and the acreage country home owner has the right to keep their acreage country home. But if those rights conflict with each other, then somebody has to decide who's right allowed and whos is not.
In this example, those two uses can cause problems for each other - like the expensive homeowners wanting paved roads and the acreage owner not wanting to pay the assessment for a paved road. The expensive homeowners wanting a quiet, peaceful place to live, and the acreage homeowner enjoying an early-morning duck-hunt on their property with shotguns at 5 AM. The expensive homeowners not wanting their property value to go down due to the view of rusty, junky-looking equipment and decaying buildings across the street, and the acreage owner thinking that the equipment, although rusty is still useful, and the buildings are just fine for the animals.
The zoning regs try and resolve those conflicts.
The zoning boards often have to decide things one way or the other. Unfortunately for the established land owners, they often decide in the direction of "progress" and "economic development". This means the new development wins and the existing land owners lose.
There are ways to fight these types of things. Legally and also in the forum of public opinion. It only takes a few stories in the paper of how the mayor is taking land from somebody's grandma and giving it to the greedy developers for the mayor to not get re-elected (and thus his boards not re-appointed).
Its a lot harder to fight the process after its too late. Go to every board meeting and every town meeting. Demand copies of all the documents. Definitely talk to a lawyer. I agree with the previous poster that many people don't get involved. The board might not even know that there are people negatively affected by their actions!
Make it clear that if the zoning is intended to solve problem A (contractors parking backhoes in front of their 1/4 acre lots in residential neighborhoods) and you are colleterally effected, but not directly causing problem A (you have a backhoe on a 3 acre lot), there should be an exemption.
If they won't budge on including an ag designation in a township, suggest that the zoning orinance include provisions for a larger, "acreage" residential designation with less restrictions. In many areas, the larger "acreage" developments are seen as the most premium and exclusive neighborhoods of all (watch out for the tax half of this, though).
There are also less-than honerable board members, trustees, and township governers, mayors, etc. These people might have vested interests in the development they are trying to "promote". This is a much harder problem to deal with. Your best bet is to expose them for what they are and hope that they are not re-elected. Dig up the land records of who owns what. Find out who is a business associate of who. Write a column in the opinion page and present your findings (be truthful - don't get sued for libel!).
The weapon of choice these days to defend your land is not a gun, but a pen, a phone, a newspaper article, a lawyer, and some good old fashioned talking to your neighbors.
- Rick
