RE: [ihc] portable garage caution and property rights

["Pete Shubin" <pshubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim:

I read the article that you linked to.  Interesting but I don't think it
hits the point for the normal guy.  By using George Washington University as
an example it misses the point of how bad zoning restrictions have become
for everyday projects.  I had two conditional use permits before the County
of Los Angeles yesterday.  Both were approved but I had to fight angry home
owners and a petition drive on one.

There were 23 items on the agenda.  11 were denied, with one motion, with
prejudice, for what the County called "inactivity."  One item had been in
process for 17 years.  Staff even commented on how many of the items had
made significant progress but the applicants had "disappeared" so they
wanted to clear them off the active case list.  Basically the County just
wore out the applicants and denied the projects.  These were all small
subdivisions, variances, requests for modifications to community district
standards, etc.  These are projects that the general public typically
applies for, not professional developers.  This is the second hearing at the
County I have attended in three months and similar events took place at
both.

I make a living out of knowing how to fight through the bureaucracy but it
still bothers me that local governments are so willing and able to hit
individuals so hard and with so little regard for their rights.  I would be
careful about how you flaunt the storage of your IH collection if you value
it.  They might take action to relieve you of it.  Especially up there on
the Central Coast.

Pete
(Who got his Scout 800 for free because the City of San Bernardino took code
enforcement action against a home owner for having to may vehicles on his
property and the home owner gave the cars away to prevent the City from
taking them.)

-----Original Message-----
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 10:41:10 -0800
From: "Jim Grammer" <jgrammer@domain.elided>
Subject: RE: [ihc] portable garage caution and property rights

>But, having seen "creeping" local blight regulations (City and County, not
homeowner's CC&Rs)
>on everything from where you can park a vehicle on your property (not in
>public view) to what color you can paint your house (not any color that a
>majority of your neighbors would consider garish or outlandish) to how tall
>you can let your bushes get (nothing over 3' in a front yard except trees
>where you are supposed to clear all branches less than 8'), I'm wondering
>when our local cities will start cracking down on these.

On topic inasmuch as I totally flaunt the local zoning ordinance by storing
my IH collection:

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=2451

With some interesting links highlighting a disgusting trend.

What's that about hell in a handbasket? ;(

Jim