Unreal Estate

The nimrods who run my hometown are up to their old tricks again. The town council decided to sell a vacant lot behind my house to allow the construction of a new house there.

So what's wrong with that? There's a stream running down the middle of it, that's what's wrong with it!

The stream bisects the property behind my house, leaving little room on either side for a house to fit. The property, which has several trees, tall grass, and overgrown shrubbery, was apparently left in a wild state to allow for flood control, as the stream collects rain water that would otherwise flood several houses nearby - except for mine, as it rests on a higher slope over the property. Building a house on it would require several compliance measures with state environmental regulations, making it virtually impossible to build anything there.

But not completely impossible. The right developer would be able to shoehorn a house there with a little ingenuity, and the town hopes to make a decent profit by selling it to a prospective buyer (and collect property taxes from the eventual homeowner). While I believe building anything there would be foolish, I also think leaving the land in a completely natural state is inconsistent with the subruban landscape surrounding it. That's why I proposed to the town that it be made into a small park with a flower bed and a couple of benches. But that would force the town to take better care of the property, and they barely take care of it now; they've allowed people to dump autumn leaves there, the grass grows for months before they cut it, and the sidewalk bordering it is deteriorating. So what better way for the town to improve the lot than to sell it for development and get it off their hands?

The neighbors are up in arms over this as much as I am, and they and I showed up at the auction for the property tonight to address our concerns. Although it was auctioned off to a woman for $160,000, the township council of West Caldwell reserves the right to debate the bid and accept or reject it afterward, so there's no guarantee that the woman who bid on the land will get it. The land could easily remain in the township's hands.

Meanwhile, I've decided to renew my efforts to make a park out of it. Stay tuned.