Subdividing the countryside

[johndeere2210]

I feel for you guys. The trend here is just the opposite. Our eight mile road used to have a farmstead every half mile on each side of the road. Now there are only eight houses left in eight miles. The rest of the houses, barns, sheds, etc. have been bulldozed in and buried to make room for more cropland. Our local school is probably going to shut down in two years because there are not enough kids anymore to keep it open. The school is a modern school that is only about thirty years old. The sad thing is that our taxes keep going up because the number of people keeps going down. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[arthr31]

you mean the world? seriously, in ma, you ca feel the density creeping in. i grew up on a 15 ac horse farm in the 70-80s. where i live now (7-8 mi from growing up) my space is huge --- i have 4 acre land surrounded by public wet / woodland (10-14 acre), which im at freedom to use, but not develop...

another interesting thing to consider is when the ole country folk mix w/ the new... i've received a few interesting remarks regarding my tractors, dirt driveway, 15+ yr old trucks, make shift farm stuffs from a bunch o mcmansioners... tyically when they find out i've lived in the same area, collectively 4 20 + yr ther freeked out!!!

due to the lack of space, attitude, cost, & congestion, i'm thinking of leaving....

 

[hitekcountry]

<font color="red"> Who do we Californians get to blame? , With 35 million folks here they all had to come from somewhere. </font>

At A Company I worked at in 2003, someone put up a world map and everyone in the company was asked to place a stickpin at the location where they were born. I would guess that around 1 or 2 percent were from California and probably no more than 20 to 25 percent from within the US. All the rest were from other countries. some of the hot spots were India and China. Now I’m sure result would be different in other areas and at different companies, it’s just that I found this to be a bit of an eye opener.

Oh yea this was an electronics company in San Jose, Ca or the area better known as Silicon Valley.

 

[_RaT_]

I just remember as the place they used to grow prunes. How many of you all knew that?

 

[Buck]

Well when they put street lights up in my old neighborhood, I told my wife it was time to go. Afterall, the lights obscure the bushes and the trees, making it easy for the predators to hide.

I don't regret moving. The problem is that we can see a single light coming through our woods now.

 

[riptides]

Interesting note. I'll probably draw fire for some of my opinions but - let the discussion begin.

On sub-dividing - The old landowner rights verses the rights of others. When developers come in, they usually have to go through legal hoops at the state and county level. Some "rezoning" may be required. So where is the problem in that? Well the rezoning classifications usually never keep up with the development. Setbacks, easements, rights of way should come into play as "zones" butt up against each other.

In my part of the county/state this just doesn't happen. We have residental areas, 1/4 acre lots next to farms. The farmer thinks he still lives in an agricultural zone, the reality is he lives in a sub-division. Who changes behaviour here - the farmer, or his 2000 neighbors?

On yet another issue of sub-dividing. When do sub-division or zoning rules change? Zoning rules change in my part of the county/state - rarely. So in a rural residental zone, we have neighbors who believe they can do whatever they want, whenever. Never mind that the houses are all setback from the road 80 feet and are an acre or less apart. Firearms, racecars, late night work, off road vehicles, fireworks, loud music, etc. etc. all are issues, for your 500 neighbors, but the zoning rules do not deter any behaviour.

Places change, some people do not.

Over the last few years, my county has tried to approach developement of agricultural land with new land-use requirements. They have failed. The results are not pretty, and actually pit land-owners against home-owners.

We all need our space, but we also need to be aware and respectfull of others.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ByronBob]

Rat,

It's hard to look at population density because so many variables go into it. In NY for example we have 2 large mountain regions in the Adirondaks and Catskills which are still pretty remote.
I've been to California also and know you have some wonderful mountains there which are remote. But sprinkle in NYC and LA and the figures get skewed.
I do agree that for the most part lots are getting chopped up and that is hard to deal with.
Farmers either get bigger or go under. The farmer I've hunted on his property for a long time. He's added cows and bought all the land he can get his hand on. And to his credit he's now taking money in on hunting proprty. I would have paid for the right but I didn't know. Times change and we have to adjust right?

 

[kensfarm]

"Who changes behaviour here - the farmer, or his 2000 neighbors?"

The farmer sells his land to the developers for $2-3 million.. moves farther out & buys another farm. The 2000 neighbors get.. 2000 more neighbors where there use to be a farm.

 

[getut]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ( So in a rural residental zone, we have neighbors who believe they can do whatever they want, whenever. ))</font>

Right there is the crux of the whole issue and is what city folk gone country completely miss. It is so far over their head that it can't even be rationalized to them.

The area they move to is zoned RA or whatever equivalent in your area so that you CAN do whatever you want with your land. They should know that coming. If they want a say over what someone does with their land, then they better pony up some money and become part owner.

By and large rural folk love their neighbors and bend over backwards to help each other. Fix a barn? You got friends willing to help all around you in the country Edit*** and that farmer will be there tools in hand to help you fix yours. Tell the same fella that he CAN'T build a barn and you'll darn near be dodging bullets as you leave his land.. and more power to him. Tell a farmer that he can't drive his tractor to harvest a field until after the morning rush... I hope he gives everyone an obscene gesture. That IS HIS morning rush to work.

City folk have it all wrong. Zoning does not GIVE rights to people. It forces a greatly limited set of "rules" on everyone. When you can't do something on your own land, that is a LOSS of rights no matter how it is packaged and bow tied.

 

[Varmintmist]

"In my part of the county/state this just doesn't happen. We have residental areas, 1/4 acre lots next to farms. The farmer thinks he still lives in an agricultural zone, the reality is he lives in a sub-division. Who changes behaviour here - the farmer, or his 2000 neighbors?"
..........................................................


No, the reality is the 2000 neighbors now live in a AG area. The wanted to move to the country, they moved into a area that is AG. They have already chosen to start changeing their behavior. Finish changing or move back to the city.

You moved because you wanted to live in the country, now when the pig poop hits the field before the snow melts that just means spring is coming, not it is time for a zoneing meeting. Those trucks pulling stone from the gravel pit are part of the economy, live with it. The blasting that happens every forth Thursday at the asphault plant has been going on for twenty years. Your realtor lied when she said that it would stop soon. You can write the editorial page in the paper, it can join the other 3000 that have been written over the last 20 years. Your realtor also lied when she said that the gun club that was established in 1914 was going to be shut down when you moved in next door. You can take them to the magistrate, its not a problem, they have been there before, the last time the realtor lied. They didnt shut down then either. If someone wants to build a garage on property he owns, it is possible to LIE in a zoneing hearing and hose that person to keep him from using his property. However karma happpens, least it did for us.

Two of those I have been personally involved in, the other ones were amusment for the locals. If for some reason you cant accept these as normal life, move back to where you came from.

...........................

I bought just as much land as I possibly could afford and a little more. On my southern boarder there are 4 lots for sale, 3 others have been sold and built on. If there was any possible way to swing it I would buy them to.

My wife was city folk until she met me. Now we can see 2 moron lights (streetlights in yards in the country = visual pollution) and she wants to plant more trees to block them. I just love her /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The problem with keeping open land is the price. Farmers are quitting and the kids cant make it farming.

Another problem is the death taxes. With the price of land if the owner dies the family cant pay the taxes (on property that has had the taxes paid on it for years /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif) and they have to sell all or part of it just to pay the double taxation. ..... I'm going to shut up now before I violate the no politics rule grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif