Posted on 01/18/2007 4:58:26 AM PST by Puppage
Obviously, Thomasina O'Boyle is connected, and Martha Slater is not. Thomasina O'Boyle was on the Zoning Board, and is thus a Person Who Matters (PWM). Martha Slater is not a PWM, apparently. Martha Slater was never on the Zoning Board, and is no doubt not involved in local politics on the winning side (whichever side is winning this week).
Furthermore, her child's playhouse has become a source of irritation to the PWM, Thomasina O'Boyle. It has fallen under her eye, and annoys her. Therefore, as a PWM, Thomasina O'Boyle can use all the power of the local government to get what she wants. Also, Thomasina O'Boyle likes her own shed, and as a PWM will be able to get whatever permissions she needs to keep it granted as a matter of course. PWMs take care of their own.
So, at the end of the day, right and wrong doesn't matter. The law doesn't matter. All that matters is if Thomasina O'Boyle and Martha Slater are People Who Matter.
The next thing you know, some liberal will realize that seeking out these nuisance violations could be a revenue stream to augment revenue without passing new tax legislation.
I would tell them that I would remove the playhouse ONLY if my nieghbor removed her ILLEGAL playhouse also. Put em all into a row.
"5 years off her life", what a drama queen
You can see the playhouse in the video at the link.
For those on dial-up...The playhouse is very cute & it's not huge...and nowhere near as large as the neighbor's 'shed'. I'm guessing that it's about 8' x 10'...and child height. The (Asian-small statured) reporterette had to bend over to go inside.
The 'problem', as I understand it, is that the addition of the playhouse caused the maximum amount of total floor space allowed to the property to be exceeded.
I'll add that the lots are large & the property doesn't look at all like it's all under roof.
The playhouse, while largish, is not THAT big. It is very nicely built and maintained, and is neatly tucked away near some trees. There is no reason city authorities could ever call this a "shed"
How about this: Check out the zoning regulations before you buy a property. If you don't like the regulations, don't buy the property. Make sense?
Actually, no, that's not true. Here in the rural countryside East of Seattle, the Seattle-based liberals that run the County are writing laws governing our lives and how we can use our property. If we were able to split off as a separate county, we would have what you talk about. Problem is, the liberals are in control of just about all aspects of government in this state and they have written the rules and their judges have interpreted the state Constitution such that no new county will ever be created in this state.
Makes perfect sense, except what about the case where the liberals in charge write the regulations AFTER you buy the property?
There's a video of it on the site. It's massive.
It's really cute. I think I saw one just like it in Country Living Magazine. It has a porch swing, shutters-way cute.
It's also much nicer looking than the larger shed next door which belongs to the former zoning commision member. In fact the entire property looks better maintained than the former zoning commissioner member's property.
I took a look at the video to see what the town's beef is.
1) The structure is NOT a shed! The reporter had to duck down just to get outside, it's furnished for a little girl, and it's very cute. It looks like a tiny house.
2) The yard is more than ample to support the playhouse. It's not a case of cramming it on a city lot; the property has to be at least 1/2 acre in a neighborhood where the lot sizes are at least that large.
3) It's in the backyard, off to one side. It's not infringing on the street, sidewalks, or other structures and doesn't appear to be a property line issue.
The town being ridiculous. This is just a cash grab under the guise of supporting regulations that are ambiguous and have no common sense.
The message here is the former official got away with it by not getting caught for three years. IMO, the woman could sue to keep her playhouse on these grounds and probably win.
The child's playhouse is about 6x10 with a 4x10 covered porch on the front. 100 Square feet is not "massive", in my book. Especially because the lot looked to be about a half-acre.
But none of that matters. The playhouse has annoyed her neighbor. Her neighbor is on the Zoning Board. Her neighbor will use her power and connections to get the playhouse removed. End of story.
The homeowner's only recourse is to try to embarrass the local government enough to make the cost of granting the neighbor's wish too high. Getting on the local TV news is a good start.
I missed the video link the first time, duh. Thanks for pointing it out.
I'm just appalled seeing the size of this little playhouse. The zoning board must not have much to entertain themselves.
Now THAT'S a playhouse!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.