The case of the Rose Bush.

[morgana]

Around here, that $60,000 gain would buy a reasonable house out right.

[LdyJedi]

They also love the countryside so much, there are many recorded examples of them complaining that cocks crow as the sun rises, church bell ringers being asked to stop their traditional ringing, complaints over cows being herded along roads, whinging that farmers spray manure on their fields for fertiliser etc.

I wish I were joking about this.

Rapscallion

Where my in-laws live out west, people were buying up homes that bordered a pig farm. A pig farm that had been there for generations.

And they were surprised it smelled.

And they complained.

Idiots.

[SongsOfDragons]

They could have phoned ahead and advised her to move her prize and joys before they came and smashed the flowers into mulch. What if the climbers were prize-winning?

[SongsOfDragons]

There are many examples of them buying up the housing and driving the local house market prices through the roof, effectively ensuring that genuine locals who have lived there for generations cannot afford to live there.

My dad's equity was recently valued - I'm not putting the result but let's say my face was . He owns about six houses up north to rent out, one of which is his and mum's retirement bungalow, and both have no problem with the countryside.

I think I head of someone in Wales making a complaint about all the empty space near Sennybridge - why wasn't it being used for more houses? He tried to organise some sort of half-hearted protest stamp but soon stopped when he read one of the many signs that told him the Army use live rounds in this training area...

[repsac]

Housing and live ammunition do NOT mix. Well, unless you live in the southern US.

[skeptic53]

I'm uneasy about that emminent domain stuff, during the fifties Seattle lost a lot of great architecture to the great gaping wound that is Interstate Five. Of course back then we positively detested Victorian architecture, or really everything about the past. Thus spawned the "Urban Renewal" project, which invovled replacing every building in our historic district with a parking structure.

It came DAMN close being a lot worse. There was a huge, long, nasty fight to keep the Pike Place Market from being torn down for a skyscraper (the compromise was Westlake Center). The PPM is an historic farmer's market that is now considered one of the main attractions of downtown Seattle. There was also the RW Thompson Expressway, which was going to run from I-5 south of downtown across Capitol Hill, through the Arboretum, and on up north to Lake Forest Park. This got as far as houses being condemned & torn down on the west side of the Arboretum, and the well-known "ramps to nowhere" on Hwy 520 by University of Washington, where people skinny-dip in the summer.

The Washington Park Arboretum is a huge, gorgeous park in the heart of the city, a priceless treasure. You can argue that the PPM is nothing but a tourist trap nowadays, but it still beats a soulless skyscraper. But losing the Arboretum to a freeway would have been just plain insane. Thank god wiser folk carried the day in the end.

[protege]

There's a "Plan B" in the works regarding Pittsburgh's downtown. For those who don't know, there's not much downtown anymore. Since downtown parking sucks and is expensive, most people tend to go to the 'burbs to shop. As a result, many former stores are empty now.

What's going on, is that the city wants to seize many of the old (1900 and older) buildings and knock them down. In their place, they want to build new shops and condos.

The idea keeps getting shot down...simply because they'd be tearing down what makes our city unique. Even though some of the buildings are vacant and/or in decrepit condition, people don't want to lose them. Modern buildings just aren't interesting enough--they're simply ugly boxes with no real character

[Becks]

What's going on, is that the city wants to seize many of the old (1900 and older) buildings and knock them down.

In my opinion, they'd be better off tearing down newer buildings and work on something better.

[Gurndigarn]

There's a "Plan B" in the works regarding Pittsburgh's downtown. For those who don't know, there's not much downtown anymore. Since downtown parking sucks and is expensive, most people tend to go to the 'burbs to shop. As a result, many former stores are empty now.

What's going on, is that the city wants to seize many of the old (1900 and older) buildings and knock them down. In their place, they want to build new shops and condos.

The idea keeps getting shot down...simply because they'd be tearing down what makes our city unique. Even though some of the buildings are vacant and/or in decrepit condition, people don't want to lose them. Modern buildings just aren't interesting enough--they're simply ugly boxes with no real character

I can sort of understand both sides. I grew up in an area that was similar to that (much smaller scale, though). The problem was that the scenic buildings were kept around until a few of them were condemned because they were unsafe.

A better idea would be figuring out some way to get individuals interested in dropping cash into keeping up the old buildings before they get to the unsafe/too expensive to repair situation.

[protege]

A better idea would be figuring out some way to get individuals interested in dropping cash into keeping up the old buildings before they get to the unsafe/too expensive to repair situation.

It'll probably never happen though. Most businesses want to build new ones...simply because of the tax benefits. They can write off "depreciation" as a business expense. Also, many times the cost of restoring the building can be multiple times what it's actually worth. Unless there's a serious offer of tax credits or grants, I doubt people will want to invest cash there.

The main problem downtown though, is that there's really no reason to head down there--many of the same stores are out in the 'burbs. It'll pick up a bit during Christmas...since people head downtown to (hopefully) see the Macy's (formerly Kaufmann's) window displays.

Then there are places like Grafton, WV. At one time, Grafton was a thriving town built on the mining and railroad industries. Then the mines closed, and the railroad (the former B&O, now part of CSX) scaled things back and downgraded the line. Now, the town is in pretty bad shape--many of the buildings are falling apart simply because it's not worth it to fix them. Why fix something that's going to stay vacant?

However, within the past few years, Grafton has been making an effort to rebuild itself--several new shops have opened, and some of the old buildings have been restored. The worst ones, including an abandoned church, got torn down.