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Dad Fights Zoning Board's Order to Destroy Backyard Tree House
Fox News ^ | October 17, 2011 | Todd Starnes

Posted on 10/17/2011 6:06:46 PM PDT by Immerito

A zoning board in Fairfax County, Va., is standing firm in its decision to order a war veteran to destroy a tree house he built for his two young sons.

County officials determined Mark Grapin, an Army aviation specialist, violated zoning regulations when he built a tree house in his backyard.

“The boys wanted a tree house,” Grapin told Fox News Radio, explaining it was a promise he made to his 8-year-old and 10-year-old sons before he left for Iraq. “It was a commitment I made to the boys and, frankly, we should do our best to keep our commitments to our children."

So when Grapin returned home, he followed through on that promise and headed off to the local home improvement store. He said he contacted Fairfax County and was given assurances that he didn’t need any special permits to build the $1,400 tree house.

But it turns out – that wasn’t exactly accurate.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bipartisan; fairfaxcounty; fallschurch; hoa; nimby; retirees; treehouse; veteran; virginia; warveteran
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1 posted on 10/17/2011 6:06:50 PM PDT by Immerito
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To: Immerito

For crying out loud..
What has happened to the heart of America?
This man fights for us, we are lucky he made it back.
Can they not do this one small thing for him?


2 posted on 10/17/2011 6:11:43 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history)
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To: Immerito

A $1400 tree house? When we were kids, we just found some old lumber in our garages and brought it all over to our house from around the neighborhood and built it in our apple tree. That said, WTF? A PERMIT for a tree house? What is this world coming to?


3 posted on 10/17/2011 6:12:46 PM PDT by FrdmLvr (culture, language, borders)
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To: Immerito

Let the kids have the damn treehouse! Do it for the chirren!


4 posted on 10/17/2011 6:13:20 PM PDT by Shimmer1 (It's not what I do but the way I do it, it's not what I say but the way I say it. (Mae West))
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To: Immerito

He should just tear it down and not get screwed out of any more money. How dare he think he could do something so provocative as build a treehouse? I just hope he does not let the boys open a lemonade stand without a permit!


5 posted on 10/17/2011 6:13:40 PM PDT by Sans-Culotte ( Pray for Obama- Psalm 109:8)
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To: Immerito

Come the revolution there should be a special firing squad for zoning officials and building inspectors.


6 posted on 10/17/2011 6:14:09 PM PDT by scottteng (Tax government employees til they quit and find something useful to do)
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To: MS.BEHAVIN

Not only that - what happened to freedom? What happened to owning your domain? Doing what you wish with your property without all these regulations? I mean come on - a tree house?

Lemonade stands are illegal too! I can go on, but I’m too sad for words!


7 posted on 10/17/2011 6:14:20 PM PDT by jcsjcm (This country was built on exceptionalism and individualism. In God we Trust - Laus Deo)
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To: Immerito
Guy tries to do something nice for his boys and gets a visit from the 'treeNazi's'.
8 posted on 10/17/2011 6:14:28 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Immerito

Pictures, need pictures of the tree house.


9 posted on 10/17/2011 6:14:55 PM PDT by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough.)
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To: MS.BEHAVIN

I’m fighting similiar B,S,

The libs want everyone to go green so I decided to invest in solar pv panels for my roof. I’m in a very economically impacted county in Florida. I have been waiting weeks for permits that should have taken days. Just being told they don’t have staff.

What gets me is the word PERMIT. I own the land and home. It’s a farm with plenty of acreage to boot.

I say this country will never go back to the founders design until this concept of PERMIT needed on your own land, goes away. Getting ready for the big collapse.


10 posted on 10/17/2011 6:16:08 PM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: scottteng

It has my vote.


11 posted on 10/17/2011 6:16:15 PM PDT by sport
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To: rabscuttle385; bamahead

Good grief, with all the problems this country faces, some busybodies have nothing better to do with their time than this. Libertarians ought to tell them to mind their own damned business! The treehouse isn’t hurting anybody.


12 posted on 10/17/2011 6:17:04 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Illegal aliens collect welfare checks that Americans won't collect)
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To: MS.BEHAVIN

The city did the same thing to us for one that we build as kids.

Of course it had carpeting and aluminum siding LoL.
Worse than that, we killed a good cherry tree building that thing in it.


13 posted on 10/17/2011 6:18:22 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Immerito

Hey! This is Amerika! Everyone knows you can’t build a tree house for your kids in Amerika!!!


14 posted on 10/17/2011 6:19:25 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Stop Government Greed Now!!!!)
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To: Immerito

Fairfax Co. figures. I hate dealing with those idiots.


15 posted on 10/17/2011 6:21:39 PM PDT by Professional Engineer (Never Again! Except for the next time.)
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To: scottteng
Come the revolution there should be a special firing squad for zoning officials and building inspectors.

Made up of poor shots and misanthropic dykes who are good shots.

16 posted on 10/17/2011 6:22:49 PM PDT by magslinger (To properly protect your family you need a Bible, a twelve gauge and a pig.)
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To: jcsjcm

“Not only that - what happened to freedom? What happened to owning your domain? Doing what you wish with your property without all these regulations? I mean come on - a tree house?
Lemonade stands are illegal too! I can go on, but I’m too sad for words!”
_____________________________________________________

I had both when I was a kid, and my twin brothers each had giant Gilbert chemistry sets, which I am sure would stagger a hazmat team today.
OK, that was in the 50s, when America was America.

God only knows where that America has gone.


17 posted on 10/17/2011 6:22:49 PM PDT by AlexW
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To: Immerito; All

Chris Plante was all over this story on his morning talk radio show on WMAL 630 AM/105.9 FM late last week.

Sound about par for the course for Fairfax County.

Prince George’s County, MD would have fined the dad into the Stone Age before the first planks were nailed in place.

Hope the dad wins.

Jack.


18 posted on 10/17/2011 6:27:43 PM PDT by Jack Deth (Knight Errant and Resident FReeper Kitty Poem /Haiku Guy)
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To: Immerito

They gave him bad info on needing a permit, ergo, YOUR FAULT!!! Leave(pun) the man alone, just leave him alone...


19 posted on 10/17/2011 6:29:11 PM PDT by NCDave (AKA, "That idiot over there")
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To: jcsjcm

“I can go on, but I’m too sad for words!”
I understand, and so am I.

This country is over-regulated to death!
HIS property, HIS tree, HIS tree house!
Leave the man alone!
We’ve become a nation of busybodies.


20 posted on 10/17/2011 6:29:44 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history)
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