On Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:03:07 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:


Nothing sucks more than to buy a house with a view of the lake over a
gently rolling field only to have the owner of the field put up a
billboard or a warehouse a few years later.

The house I grew up in was across a narrow street from some woods
owned by a college in NYC. Over the years, tennis courts, a baseball
field and other athletic features replaced the woods. Still, not so
bad - for all the years we lived there, the worst we had was a large
grass covered field across from our house.

This is, btw, a major reason for my other thread, where I wanted to
cut up the log in the stream. I don't want the owners of the stream
bed to be bothered, I don't want them to think about the stream. I
want as many years as possible to go by where they ignore it and the
thin strip of land on the other side, because I expect that
eventually, all my woods will be gone and something medium to terrible
will be there.

On the other side of the stream and beyond the woods and the next
street, the land was posted and I went to the zoning hearing. I didn't
intend to complain and I didn't, but my very presence and the few
simple questions I asked annoyed the developer a little bit. When
they adjournded from the hearing room to an office, I followed along
and no one objected. He had his zoning already, and planned to cut
down all the trees on his lot and put in some offices and ...a
7-11!!!!. I figured I was stuck. I don't know what happened, no one
was objecting while I was there. They cut down all the trees and
ended up just putting a flood pond and a very quiet parking lot, a
free one with no sign or attendant. That was 10 years ago.

I drove through the old neighborhood last year - the view now consists
of a 7 story glass and steel building, less than 100 feet from my old
front door. My Dad was so glad he sold the place a few years before
the building went up.

What part of NYC is this? I lived there 12 years and tried as best
I could to learn the whole city.