Property taxes (WAS: On Nh living and commutes..)

Michael Costolo mcostolo at yahoo.com
Fri Apr 23 16:35:00 EDT 2004


--- Derek Martin <invalid at pizzashack.org> wrote:
> The point of voting is to make people _feel_ empowered.  

Humorous, whether true or not.

> We're talking about zoning of historical landmarks and/or districts.
> Can you point to a case where one has been de-zoned?

Well, the lady with the barn in the historical zone in Bedford *did* end up knocking
it down like she wanted.   Now whether she got a variance or had her land "de-zoned"
is not something I know.  

> Additionally, you need not have a historic landmark law to enforce
> this kind of thing.  There are other existing laws to deal with your
> Walmart case.

Fine.  So WalMart may have been a bad example.  Let's change it to "put in condos."

> What is always bad is whenever it does happen, the private land owner
> gets screwed.  When such a zoning goes into effect, the owner loses
> rights to their own property, to a large extent, and it becomes more
> difficult to sell for the same reasons, and they receive no
> compensation for all this.  I'd love to see you try to explain how
> that's not unfair.

In that scenario I agree.  But how often do historical zones and their subsequent
regulation get suddently thrust upon unsuspecting landowners?  And what about the
case like the barn in Bedford where the land was *already* in a historical zone
prior to ownership?
  
> Precisely why it should take more than a handful of empassioned
> lunatics [not that all who vote on zoning issues are empassioned
> lunatics] at a town meeting to vote in favor of something like
> this...  Like, maybe you shouldn't be allowed to vote on a re-zoning
> of a district, unless you live in that district, or at a property
> which is immediately adjacent to it.  Or, if you feel the whole
> community should have a say, then it should take a majority of the
> /citizens/ to pass such a measure... not just a majority of the 15
> people who show up at the town meeting.

I believe the town can decide what it takes to enact historical zones.  I'm sure
that gives you no solace though.

-Mike-

=====
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it"
-George Bernard Shaw


	
		
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