FARK.com: (3720352) Property owner retaliates against zoning by painting the house purple and pink. Dumbass tag not for the paint, but for not getting zoning approval before purchasing the property

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(nbc10)		Property owner retaliates against zoning by painting the house purple and pink. Dumbass tag not for the paint, but for not getting zoning approval before purchasing the property (nbc10.com)		85
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Kublai Khan		2008-07-08 08:38:37 AM

Pfft, lime green FTW.

Cog		2008-07-08 08:53:29 AM

They could buy this house

images.ibsys.com

ExJerseyGirl		2008-07-08 08:59:05 AM

Make their house as ugly as possible because they didn't get zoning approval.

How is this their neighbors' fault? DUMBASS tag applies to the paint job too.

ThatGuyGreg		2008-07-08 09:17:54 AM

ExJerseyGirl:Make their house as ugly as possible because they didn't get zoning approval.

They did get zoning approval - the town council stepped in to overrule it for some reason that the long and thorough article fails to address.

ExJerseyGirl		2008-07-08 09:28:08 AM

ThatGuyGreg:
They did get zoning approval - the town council stepped in to overrule it for some reason that the long and thorough article fails to address.

Ah.I wonder what the real story here is.

slayer199		2008-07-08 10:07:21 AM

ExJerseyGirl:ThatGuyGreg:
They did get zoning approval - the town council stepped in to overrule it for some reason that the long and thorough article fails to address.

Ah.I wonder what the real story here is.

No kidding. Can't we get a little info here from the "reporter?"

Surly_Duff		2008-07-08 10:54:02 AM

Inferred details:
This is a pissing match between a town council and a zoning board that has gotten out of hand. As a resident of Bucks County, I'm not totally suprised. This area is building up like crazy, and some towns are trying to keep their 'small town feel' in the face of increasing development and suburbification.

The town that I live in gave up the 'good fight' about 20 years ago (so I hear - I am one of the recent transplants lured by the lovely developments), since it is directly off of Rte. 95. Now that some of the county roads have been upgraded to be able to handle heavier traffic (Rts. 332, I'm looking at you), areas that are not so close to the big arterial highways are starting to be considered prime real estate, even in this slumping market.

So what you get here is a zoning board that thought the conversion of a property from a crumbled down victorian into a newly designed twin was a good idea. But then that decision is seen by the town council as a threat and a bad precedent. Remember, town councils of elected officials often have old-school, long-time residents on the board. They don't want the prcedent set that you can knock down one old home and put up two new ones - that would open the door for larger development projects...something they really don't want.

And what happens shall now be called "the purple house effect." The pissed-off property owner caught in the middle decides to do something that is legal, vengeful, and totally stupid... and pretty funny.

Sybarite		2008-07-08 11:17:20 AM

The owner is reportedly a black man with a black cat.

studebaker hoch		2008-07-08 11:48:11 AM

I never understood people who would work hard just to spite others.

Why not sell the property, then buy an R-2 somewhere else?

bump		2008-07-08 11:50:46 AM

Was he black or white, was he straight or gay?

ipsofacto		2008-07-08 11:53:03 AM

My grandmother would love that house now. It looks like her kitchen.

nads0		2008-07-08 11:54:11 AM

In my town, someone owns the house next door to a Catholic church. The church called the police repeatedly for noise violations, poor lawn care, etc., and finally the owners were given a notice that said their house must be painted (because it looked like shiat) or they would receive a fine. So, they painted the parts viewable from the church a bright shade of lavender

BooBoo23		2008-07-08 11:55:21 AM

My old neighbor painted his to protest the "Historic District" designation. The pic sadly does not include the several toilets he had set up in the front yard for a while...

Sin_City_Superhero		2008-07-08 11:55:41 AM

bump:Was he black or white, was he straight or gay?

Yes

i'm driving my life away		2008-07-08 11:55:57 AM

i hate when assholes buy up property and turn it into apartments. but i hate it even more when assholes buy up apartment buildings and turn them into condos. only morons buy condos.

raanne		2008-07-08 11:56:21 AM

ha... funny. who cares? is seeing a house in a different color so offensive to people? lol... people need to get over themselves...

tweekster		2008-07-08 11:57:09 AM

ThatGuyGreg:ExJerseyGirl:Make their house as ugly as possible because they didn't get zoning approval.

They did get zoning approval - the town council stepped in to overrule it for some reason that the long and thorough article fails to address.

I don't know how it works elsewhere but as far as I know it isn't official until the town counsel votes on it. (when dealing with a township atleast)

My neighbors buying/selling all fell apart because everything was written on the contingency that the township would approve some change in the land, they didn't, it all went to hell.

Trance750		2008-07-08 11:57:26 AM

So there's a problem and the lawmakers pass a law to prevent a solution from being found? Sounds like they're just following the lead of every other politician.

mesohorny		2008-07-08 11:58:29 AM

"When we do the roof we're going to re-do the trim. And we're going to do that in yellow," Link said.

I wish i had the extra money i would buy a house next to my old neighbors and do the same damn thing. Well I probably paint it bright hot pink and find homless people to live in it then cement the back and front lawn so i don't ever have to mow it or visit.

jaylectricity		2008-07-08 12:00:44 PM

tweekster		2008-07-08 12:04:16 PM

jaylectricity:i'm driving my life away:i hate when assholes buy up property and turn it into apartments. but i hate it even more when assholes buy up apartment buildings and turn them into condos. only morons buy condos.

Yay, let's buy a block of this building to call our very own...and still throw our money away on rent.

I was just looking online and found a found a single fam/detached condo, 1 unit in building (obviosuly) 1 unit in project

So I am really getting a kick..

trappedspirit		2008-07-08 12:05:02 PM

Juvenile. And not even humerous. Either grow up or produce entertainment

i'm driving my life away		2008-07-08 12:06:08 PM

jaylectricity:Yay, let's buy a block of this building to call our very own...and still throw our money away on rent.

by golly, hes got it!
oh and also usually they think they're better than everyone else. can't imagine where they'd get that idea.

Suicidal_Elmo		2008-07-08 12:06:25 PM

i'm driving my life away:i hate when assholes buy up property and turn it into apartments. but i hate it even more when assholes buy up apartment buildings and turn them into condos. only morons buy condos.

Buying a condo or townhouse is a good alternative for people who can't afford a house. At least they're investing their money (mortgage) in something that usually appreciates in value rather than throwing it away in rent. One would argue that only morons rent.

Antimatter		2008-07-08 12:08:13 PM

mesohorny:"When we do the roof we're going to re-do the trim. And we're going to do that in yellow," Link said.

I wish i had the extra money i would buy a house next to my old neighbors and do the same damn thing. Well I probably paint it bright hot pink and find homless people to live in it then cement the back and front lawn so i don't ever have to mow it or visit.

I'd prefer desert landscaping, because it still is no maintenance, yet you can still claim to be legitamently doing landscapeing.

StarshipPooper		2008-07-08 12:09:46 PM

Didn't this happen before which resulted in a sad ending? Kill Dozer Part II. This time it's personal... Didn't the first Kill Dozer guy get screwed on his zoning so he built KILL DOZER?

iamrobot		2008-07-08 12:11:45 PM

One would argue that only morons rent.

until said renter gets the urge to go overseas for a couple months or gets tired of their town. I know a couple (relatively) financially successful couch surfers that can't handle the permanence of renting a place for six months.

there isn't a wrong living situation per se, just a lot of people in the wrong one for them.

toejam		2008-07-08 12:13:24 PM

trappedspirit:Juvenile. And not even humerous. Either grow up or produce entertainment

img.tfd.com

Turfshoe		2008-07-08 12:15:45 PM

When the lease for the office at my former job was coming up, the boss proposed moving the company (only about 5 employees) into a house that he owned in an upscale part of town. At the time, the going rate in the neighborhood was well over a $1,000,000. It really would have been great with the ocean views. One of his neighbors got wind of it and threatened to report him for zoning violations due to running a business out of a residential property.

As retaliation, he was going to litter the yard with a ton of pink plastic flamingos and any other incredibly tacky piece of lawn furniture he could think of. He never did do it, but it always made for a funny mental image.

Suicidal_Elmo		2008-07-08 12:17:42 PM

iamrobot:until said renter gets the urge to go overseas for a couple months or gets tired of their town. I know a couple (relatively) financially successful couch surfers that can't handle the permanence of renting a place for six months.

there isn't a wrong living situation per se, just a lot of people in the wrong one for them.

Very true. I was referring to the long term renters who have lived in the same rental for over 5-10 years.

probesport		2008-07-08 12:19:22 PM

Mackinac approves

farm2.static.flickr.com

Red_Fox		2008-07-08 12:19:50 PM

Could someone remind me why towns and cities are allowed to tell you what you can and can't build on your own property again? Maybe it's that I grew up in the country and you didn't need any permits at all for anytyhing, I dunno I just don't get it.

Can you sue them (and win) if they won't allow you to use your own property the way you would like?

buenohead		2008-07-08 12:20:02 PM

Pretty soon, houses like this will be included on some tourist route.

Example:
users.rcn.com

Schagnasty		2008-07-08 12:23:42 PM

Buenohead, that is a beautiful example of a house that should be preserved and carefully looked after.
There are fewer and fewer of this kind of house because of retards that tear them down to build ugly McMansions in historic neighborhoods where they don't belong.

ExJerseyGirl		2008-07-08 12:25:32 PM

o4tuna		2008-07-08 12:26:00 PM

I have an acquaintance that owns a dozen or so condominiums(all in different buildings), as investment rentals. I still think it's weird.
One of their tenants lived in a unit for 19 years. They paid off the loan in 17.

murfshay22		2008-07-08 12:28:51 PM

BooBoo23:My old neighbor painted his to protest the "Historic District" designation. The pic sadly does not include the several toilets he had set up in the front yard for a while...

My father was going to paint our home purple with pink polka dots when our town considered expanding the historic district to include our neighborhood. Made no sense, since our homes were all built in the 60s and had nothing to do with the town when it was first founded and developing.

ExJerseyGirl		2008-07-08 12:30:40 PM

Red_Fox:Could someone remind me why towns and cities are allowed to tell you what you can and can't build on your own property again? Maybe it's that I grew up in the country and you didn't need any permits at all for anytyhing, I dunno I just don't get it.

Lots of reasons. Suppose you own twenty acres and decide to subdivide and put up 150 houses/apartments. That has a tremendous impact on infrastructure -- roads, schools, etc.

How/what you build can also have an impact on the water table, local wells, etc. It can also change the look and feel of a neighborhood, which can drive down the price of all property values in the area.

tweekster		2008-07-08 12:36:27 PM

ExJerseyGirl:Red_Fox:Could someone remind me why towns and cities are allowed to tell you what you can and can't build on your own property again? Maybe it's that I grew up in the country and you didn't need any permits at all for anytyhing, I dunno I just don't get it.

Lots of reasons. Suppose you own twenty acres and decide to subdivide and put up 150 houses/apartments. That has a tremendous impact on infrastructure -- roads, schools, etc.

How/what you build can also have an impact on the water table, local wells, etc. It can also change the look and feel of a neighborhood, which can drive down the price of all property values in the area.

Don't forget about city services such as fire, medical, police.

There are hundreds of reasons and as a part of society, they greatly outweigh the "i own it so i can do whatever i want" mentality a lot of people seem to have.

Azbjorn		2008-07-08 12:45:02 PM

Red_Fox
Could someone remind me why towns and cities are allowed to tell you what you can and can't build on your own property again? Maybe it's that I grew up in the country and you didn't need any permits at all for anything, I dunno I just don't get it.

Can you sue them (and win) if they won't allow you to use your own property the way you would like?

It's because America is no longer the land of the free. Now your expected to conform to whatever it is your neighbors think is right. I, personally would love to see neighborhoods where every house was a different color.

rcain		2008-07-08 12:47:47 PM

"Perkasie's Zoning Board said yes. The Borough Council said no, and won in court."

They did get zoning board approval before buying, and that's the entire issue. The city council got in a huff and had their day in court. No way they could have seen that coming. But, that would have required subby having the reading comprehension of a 5 year old to understand.

Wear it proudly submitard

tweekster		2008-07-08 12:49:16 PM

rcain:"Perkasie's Zoning Board said yes. The Borough Council said no, and won in court."

They did get zoning board approval before buying, and that's the entire issue. The city council got in a huff and had their day in court. No way they could have seen that coming. But, that would have required subby having the reading comprehension of a 5 year old to understand.

Wear it proudly submitard

Town/City counsel approval of the zoning boards recommendation is usually required.

danlpoon		2008-07-08 12:51:36 PM

My old neighbor painted his to protest the "Historic District" designation.

"Historic Preservation Districts" are the biggest crock of shiat in all of local government.

These should be deemed a taking. Dead serious.

rcain		2008-07-08 12:53:10 PM

tweekster:Town/City counsel approval of the zoning boards recommendation is usually required.

Then why have a zoning board at all? Might as well just do it through the council.
And the fact that they had to TAKE THIS TO COURT says that you might be wrong on this one.

CaptFun		2008-07-08 12:54:02 PM

Must be Bush's fault.

TheFatManCometh		2008-07-08 12:55:21 PM

tweekster		2008-07-08 12:56:49 PM

rcain:tweekster:Town/City counsel approval of the zoning boards recommendation is usually required.

Then why have a zoning board at all? Might as well just do it through the council.
And the fact that they had to TAKE THIS TO COURT says that you might be wrong on this one.

Because a lot of research is required that is outside of the scope and knowledge of the town counsel. As ExJerseyGirl pointed out there are many factors that need to be looked at before a zoning change. The zoning board looks at those issues and makes educated decisions. But just because they sign off on it doesn't necessarily mean it will go through.

The court situation might be a cease and desist order because he was going to ignore what they said. That part is unknown. I know in my town for a fact you need to get zoning approval which is then taken to the town counsel then voted on for actual approval. It becomes part of the public proceedings and anyone with input can give their opinion on the matter

Schagnasty		2008-07-08 12:57:43 PM

"Historic Preservation Districts" are the biggest crock of shiat in all of local government.

I live in an Historic District, and thank God that it's there.
Our area is very centrally located to the business district, and the District keeps idiots from buying perfectly good old houses and bulldozing them in order to build a McMansion that would totally not go with the look and feel of the rest of the neighborhood.

If you don't like old, well preserved homes, then go build on unused land somewhere else.

tfischer		2008-07-08 12:58:20 PM

Suicidal_Elmo:tment buildings and turn them into condos. only morons buy condos.

Buying a condo or townhouse is a good alternative for people who can't afford a house. At least they're investing their money (mortgage) in something that usually appreciates in value rather than throwing it away in rent. One would argue that only morons rent.

Reality check: Condos often cost more than houses. The also often rapidly depreciate -- especially in sucky markets like we're experiencing right now.

tfischer		2008-07-08 01:00:42 PM

Azbjorn:Red_Fox
Could someone remind me why towns and cities are allowed to tell you what you can and can't build on your own property again? Maybe it's that I grew up in the country and you didn't need any permits at all for anything, I dunno I just don't get it.

Can you sue them (and win) if they won't allow you to use your own property the way you would like?

It's because America is no longer the land of the free. Now your expected to conform to whatever it is your neighbors think is right. I, personally would love to see neighborhoods where every house was a different color.

Reasonable zoning regulations are for the benefit of everyone. It keeps you from setting up an asphalt plant in the middle of a single-family neighborhood, for example.

Unfortunately, zoning regulations are often not reasonable, and in many areas, HOA's are the norm and they are almost never reasonable...

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